Adolescent Susceptibility to E-Cigarettes: An Update From the 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey

Abstract

Purpose: Examine correlates of e-cigarette susceptibility among adolescents. Design: Secondary data analyses using the 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey, excluding participants under 12 and over 17. Setting: United States middle and high schools. Subjects: Never e-cigarette users ( n = 12,439) ages 12-17. Measures: Relationships between e-cigarette susceptibility and age, sex, race/ethnicity, ever tobacco use, perceived ease of purchasing tobacco products, perceived harm, relative addictiveness, household use of e-cigarettes/tobacco were examined. Analysis: Odds of susceptibility were modeled with weighted multivariable logistic regressions. Results: Thirty-five percent (unweighted n = 4,436) of adolescents were susceptible to e-cigarettes. Adolescents who were female (aOR = 1.2), Hispanic (aOR = 1.3), perceived e-cigarettes as anything less than “a lot of harm” (aOR = 2.2-4.9) and “easy” to purchase (aOR = 1.4), had ever used combustible tobacco (aOR = 2.9), or reported household use of e-cigarettes (aOR = 1.5) were susceptible. Non-Hispanic black respondents (vs. non-Hispanic white; aOR = 0.72) had significantly lower odds of susceptibility to e-cigarettes. Conclusion: In the 2018 NYTS adolescent sample, perceptions of harm and ease of tobacco product purchase appear to be significantly related to higher odds of e-cigarette susceptibility, in addition to other demographic factors. Longitudinal data, particularly cohort data following adolescents from susceptible to actual or no use, are needed to assess predictors of e-cigarette use initiation.

Sleep troubles in adolescence relate to future initiation of ENDS Use: A longitudinal cohort design using the PATH study waves 4.5–5 (2017–2019)

“…The Pierce measure ( Pierce et al, 1996 ) was initially developed to forecast cigarette smoking but has been adapted in various forms to predict initiation of ENDS ( Strong et al, 2015 , Bold et al, 2017 , Cheng et al, 2021 ). In this study we account for this measure of susceptibility and other variables associated with likelihood of ENDS initiation and sleep quality, including parental education ( Vu et al, 2020 ), household income ( Patel et al, (2021 ), availability of tobacco products in the home ( Bailey et al, 2022 ; ( Bouchard et al, 2018 ), prior use of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit substances ( Brake, 2019 ), school performance ( Nicksic and Barnes, 2019 ), experiences with anxiety and depression ( Green et al, 2018 , Jamieson et al, 2020 ), perceptions of ENDs harmfulness ( Tackett et al, 2021 , Strong et al, 2019 ), sensation seeking ( Case et al, 2017 , Carey et al, 2019 ), having friends that use ENDS ( Groom et al, 2021 ), exposure to ENDS promotions on social media ( Holtz et al, 2021 ), Body Mass Index (BMI) ( Moore et al, 2011 ) and physical activity ( Youngstedt, 2005 ).…”

Correlates of e-cigarette use susceptibility among never-smoking youth: A cross-sectional study in Shenzhen, China

“…Although several studies included susceptibility to e-cigarette use, they are limited in that they did not include multi-faceted covariates in the exploration of risk factors [21]. For instance, Tackett [22], Copp [23], Gottschlich [24], and Williams [25] investigated youth e-cigarette use susceptibility in the USA, Canada, and Guatemala, respectively. They included individual factors such as demographics, and perceptions of smoking and substance use, but did not include psychological and personality factors that were also signi cant predictors of youth e-cigarette use.…”

Age of Onset of Susceptibility to Different Tobacco Products Among Non-Susceptible US Young Adults: Findings from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study Waves 2-4 (2014-2017)

“…Susceptibility to tobacco use is measured among those who have not yet used a tobacco product, and is defined as a lack of a firm decision not to use a particular tobacco product. [10][11][12][13][14] While most research on this construct has focused on youth (i.e., 12-to 17-yearolds), 12,[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] recent research demonstrates it is relevant to young adults, too. Previous research on tobacco product susceptibility has indicated that susceptibility varies by specific tobacco products and age in young adults.…”

“…24 A convenience sample of college students in Upstate New York in 2013 found that among 18, 19, and 20 to 23-year-olds, the prevalence of susceptibility to e-cigarette use was 39.5%, 40.8%, and 36.8%, respectively. 25 A different 2014-2015 nationally representative study of adolescents and young adults (ages [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] found that among never users of hookah and little cigars/ cigarillos (LCCs), 17.7% and 14.8% were susceptible to use, respectively. 26 In 2016-2017, a study surveying college freshmen at a large university found that 30.0% of those who reported they were non-susceptible to hookah use at baseline reported onset of susceptibility to hookah use by the end of the academic year.…”