Appeal of JUUL among adolescents

The consequential impact of JUUL on youth vaping and the landscape of tobacco products: The state of play in the COVID-19 era

“…Since its introduction to the US market in 2015, JUUL has dramatically changed the landscape of tobacco products ( Huang et al, 2019 , Jenssen and Wilson, 2019 , Lee et al, 2020 , Vallone et al, 2020 ). A combination of sleek and high-tech design, innovative nicotine delivery technology, appealing flavorings, and social media-based marketing ( Vargas-Rivera et al, 2020 , Hrywna et al, 2020 , Kong et al, 2019 , Nardone et al, 2019 ) has propelled JUUL to become the best-selling e-cig in the US ( Huang et al, 2019 , Lee et al, 2020 ). JUUL has accounted for nearly 75% of recent point-of-sale purchases of e-cigs, being the first brand to record $1.3 billion in annual sales in 2018 ( Herzog and Kanada, 2021 ).…”

“…The huge financial success of JUUL has spurred competitors, ranging from startups to “Big Tobacco” companies, to offer similar pod-based products (JUUL-alike or JUUL compatible), often at a fraction of the price of JUUL ( Jackler and Ramamurthi, 2019 , Williams, 2019 ). While purportedly intended for ‘ adult ’ smokers, JUUL use is most prevalent among adolescents and young adults ( Kong et al, 2019 , Nardone et al, 2019 , Willett et al, 2019 , Case et al, 2020 ). Survey based research conducted during April – October 2018 showed that 30.2% and 21%, respectively, of high school- and college students self-reported past 30-day use of JUUL ( Morean et al, 2019 , Ickes et al, 2020 ).…”

Associated factors for depression, suicidal ideation and suicide attempt among asthmatic adolescents with experience of electronic cigarette use

“…Also, in the point of view that the reason of EC use is a strategy used by the tobacco industry in attracting future smokers, respondents cited the availability of appealing flavors, safety, curiosity, and as a smoking cessation aid, as the main reasons for use in this study. Compared to the results in other countries, the reasons for EC use differed according to the study: curiosity, appealing flavors, peer influence, and being able to conceal their use 4 ; the buzz (52%), appealing flavors (43%), and peer influence (36%) 38 ; flavor availability, social media promotion, discreet flash drive design, and allowing use to go undetected by parents 39 . Public health campaigns and education in schools should target adolescents, especially those with asthma, to raise awareness of the risks of all types of smoking, including ECs.…”

High school students’ use of JUUL pod flavors before and after JUUL implemented voluntary sales restrictions on certain flavors in 2018

“…Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have been the most popular tobacco product used by youth in the U.S. since 2014; in 2019 27.5% of high school students reported e-cigarette use in the past month [1]. This increased prevalence partially has been driven by the availability of podbased devices including JUUL [2,3], which has captured the majority of the U.S. e-cigarette market share [4] and is especially popular among underage youth [3,5].…”

“…Research indicates that JUUL appeals to youth due to its compact and sleek design, concealability, appealing flavors, and the ability to provide a "buzz" (presumably due to JUUL's high nicotine content) [2,5]. Perhaps in response to the mounting government and public criticism, JUUL uniquely enacted voluntary measures in November 2018 to restrict youth access to their products.…”