The use of e-cigarette among teenagers in the United States is considered a significant public health problem. A close look at federal data now show that the number of young e-cigarette users has markedly declined to below epidemic levels since its peak in 2019.
The use of e-cigarette among teenagers in the United States is considered a significant public health problem. A close look at federal data now show that the number of young e-cigarette users has markedly declined to below epidemic levels since its peak in 2019.
aping by young non-smokers is a legitimate concern, but known risks from vaping are often greatly exaggerated. There has been a surge in electronic cigarette popularity among youth over the past decade, but since 2019 there has been a drastic decrease in the number of e-cigarette users among adolescents. During the same period, smoking rates have constantly fallen to new low record levels.
Prof. Riccardo Polosa, founder of the CoEHAR of the University of Catania, Prof. Thomas B. Casale of the University of Florida and Prof. Donald P. Tashkin of UCLA Health Sciences of Los Angeles, have just published in “The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice” the state-of -the-art article “A close look at vaping in adolescents and young adults in the USA” dedicated exclusively to the size of the problem and the real health implications among teenagers using these consumer products.
The goal of the article is to provides updated information on current vaping trends among adolescents and young adults in the United States, and to assess the impact of EC usage on their respiratory health.
Among high school students EC use has increased substantially over the past decade, but has now declined significantly since its peak in 2019. In contrast, over the same time interval smoking rates have substantially and consistently declined to record low levels.
These trends and most recent high-quality analyses do not suggest that EC use is a gateway to smoking. The vast majority of EC use is infrequent and unlikely to increase an individual’s risk for adverse health effects. Moreover, most EC use has occurred among those who have already smoked and rarely among those who have never smoked.
A similar increase in vaping has been reported among young adults (18-24 years of age) over the past decade, although to a less extent than among high school students. Over the same time, smoking rates have markedly declined, but remain higher than the rates in high school students. As with high school students, it does not appear that EC use serves as a gateway to smoking. Data show that the majority of EC usage has happened among those who previously smoked.
Interestingly, the proportion of dual users has been falling in recent years – federal surveys now report high declines in dual usage rate (NHIS 2019 23%; NYTS 2021 12.5%). This is probably due to several factors: as the technologies improve over time, it is likely that more of the users will find exclusive vaping a satisfactory alternative to smoking. Dual-use should be properly understood as part of a behavioral pathway that evolves over time, not something this is static and fixed. Vaping may start with no intention to quit smoking, but as the user becomes more familiar and finds the product they like they gradually make more use of the product in more situations.
CoEHAR – 2022-06-23.
Want More Investigative Content?
