22 Sep E-Cig Use Increases Among Young Adults As Well As Adolescents
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Hongying (Daisy) Dai
Hongying (Daisy) Dai, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Biostatistics | College of Public Health
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Previous studies have reported a surge in e-cigarette use among youth during the 2017 – 2018. For instance, the prevalence of current (past 30-day) e-cigarette use increased by 77.8% (from 11.7% to 20.8%) among high school students and by 48.5% (from 3.3% to 4.9%) among middle school students.
As a result, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns that youth e-cigarette use is reaching an epidemic proportion in September 2018. Whether e-cigarette use prevalence also increased among young adults (aged 18-24 years), a population with high e-cigarette use rates and vulnerability to nicotine dependence, is unknown.
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?
Response: This study examined the current and daily e-cigarette use trends from 2014 to 2018 and the biannual change from 2017 to 2018 among U.S. adults of different ages. The key findings of this study are:
- Over 2014-2018, current and daily e-cigarette use prevalence increased among U.S. young adults but declined or remained stable in older adult age groups.
- The 46.2% increase (5.2% to 7.6%) in current e-cigarette use among young adults (aged 18-24) from 2017 to 2018 translates to 700,000 more U. young adult e-cigarette users.
- Among young adults, e-cigarette use increases during 2017-2018 were significant among former smokers, males, NH Whites, “other” race, and those with poverty ratio ≥4.0.
MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response: The 46.2% increase in current e-cigarette use from 2017-2018 among young adults parallel concurrent 48.5% and 77.8% increases in U.S. middle and high school students. Ongoing efforts to address the e-cigarette use epidemic in young people should not stop at age 18.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work?
Response: First, Sales of pod-mod style e-cigarette products with high nicotine concentrations and appealing flavors markedly increased from 2017 to 2018, and are popular in adolescents. Whether pod-mod e-cigarettes play a role in rising e-cigarette use in young adults warrant further research.
Second, the reasons why 2017-2018 biannual increases were observed only among subpopulations of young adults, such as males and former smokers, merit further research.
I have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Citation:
Dai H, Leventhal AM. Prevalence of e-Cigarette Use Among Adults in the United States, 2014-2018. JAMA. Published online September 16, 2019. doi:10.1001/jama.2019.15331
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2751687
[subscribe]
Last Modified: [last-modified]
The information on MedicalResearch.com is provided for educational purposes only, and is in no way intended to diagnose, cure, or treat any medical or other condition. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health and ask your doctor any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. In addition to all other limitations and disclaimers in this agreement, service provider and its third party providers disclaim any liability or loss in connection with the content provided on this website.
Last Updated on September 22, 2019 by Marie Benz MD FAAD