Adolescent e-cigarette users are more likely than never-users to progress to cigarette smoking, even among those who had no intention to start smoking

Abstract

E-cigarette use is a relatively new risk factor for nicotine use disorder among U.S. adolescents. Adolescents who use e-cigarettes are at increased risk of developing nicotine use disorder and progressing to smoke conventional cigarettes. In this brief, former PRC trainee Olusegun Owotomo, current PRC trainee Haley Stritzel, PRC faculty research associate Julie Maslowsky, and colleagues explore which e-cigarette users progress to cigarette smoking, and why. They find that more adolescent e-cigarette users started smoking cigarettes one year later than adolescents who had never used e-cigarettes, including those who had no intention to start smoking. The authors call on health care providers, parents, and education campaigns to emphasize the dangers associated with e-cigarette use, including the risk of progressing to cigarette smoking even among those without an intention to do so.