Abstract
BackgroundThis study aimed to discover which young adults vape, the reasons given for vaping, and which reasons for vaping are associated with continued vaping/smoking. MethodsIn a UK cohort of 3,994 young adults, we explored the association of retrospectively-recalled reasons for vaping by 23 years (collected between 2015 and 2016) with vaping/smoking status at 24 years (collected between 2016 and 2017). Using logistic regression, we assessed the association with vaping behaviour among ever vapers who had ever smoked (n = 668), and with smoking behaviour among individuals who regularly smoked prior to vaping (n = 412). ResultsVaping to quit smoking was associated with higher likelihood of vaping (odds ratio [OR] = 3.51, 95 % confidence interval [95 % CI] = 2.29–5.38), but lower likelihood of smoking at 24 years (OR = 0.50, 95 %CI = 0.32 to 0.78). Vaping to cut down smoking was associated with higher likelihood of vaping (OR = 2.90, 95 % CI = 1.87–4.50) and smoking at 24 years (OR = 1.62, 95 % CI = 1.02–2.58). Vaping out of curiosity was associated with lower likelihood of vaping at 24 years (OR = 0.41, 95 %CI = 0.26 to 0.63) but higher likelihood of smoking at 24 years (OR = 1.66, 95 % CI = 1.04–2.65). ConclusionsIntention to quit appears important for young adults to stop smoking using e-cigarettes. Public health strategies that encourage vaping specifically for smoking cessation may encourage quitting among young adults.
Highlights
Evidence suggests e-cigarettes can aid smoking cessation (Hajek et al, 2019), but some smokers have not tried e-cigarettes, and not all who have tried them have quit smoking (Hartmann-Boyce et al, 2016; Zhu et al, 2017)
We explored the association between reasons for vaping by years and current vaping at, explored the association between rea sons for vaping by years and current smoking at with and without adjustment for potential confounders
Reasons for e-cigarette use and smoking/vaping behaviour Using logistic regressions, we explored the association between retrospectively-reported reasons for vaping by years and vaping and smoking continuation at years
Summary
Evidence suggests e-cigarettes can aid smoking cessation (Hajek et al, 2019), but some smokers have not tried e-cigarettes, and not all who have tried them have quit smoking (Hartmann-Boyce et al, 2016; Zhu et al, 2017). It is important to know which individuals vape, why, and whether different reasons for vaping are associated with continued vaping and smoking cessation. Evidence from the US suggests that young adults vape primarily out of curiosity (Kong et al, 2015) or because their friend s/family vape (Tsai et al, 2018), and Yong et al (2019) found that they are more motivated to regularly vape for reasons other than quitting smoking. Current evidence suggests that reasons for vaping are associated with continuation/discontinuation of vaping and smoking (Bold et al, 2016; Nicksic et al, 2019; Saddleson et al, 2016; Yong et al, 2019), there is limited evidence from young adults in the UK. Public health strategies that encourage vaping for smoking cessation may encourage quitting among young adults
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