Abstract
Background: Although numerous motivations for vaping have been identified in adolescents, no study to date has examined a possible link between vaping and attitudes/behaviors that are associated with eating disorders in adolescent females. Examining this question in adolescent females is especially relevant given the higher prevalence of eating disorders in adolescent girls and women compared to adolescent boys and men.Methods: We recruited 299 girls (between 13 to 17 years old) via Facebook advertisement to complete a REDCap survey, which included the Electronic Cigarette Dependence Index (ECDI), Minnesota Eating Behavior Survey (MEBS), and demographic questions. Data were analyzed using nonparametric Spearman rank correlation test in R.Results: Electronic Cigarette Dependence Index (ECDI) scores were correlated with weight preoccupation (WP), binge eating (BE) and compensatory behavior (CB), but not body dissatisfaction (BD). The following were the results of Spearman correlation tests: (1) WP: rho = 0.13, p = 0.02; (2) BD: rho = 0.06, p = 0.28; (3) BE: rho = 0.15, p = 0.0095; (4) CB: rho = 0.021, p = 0.00027.Conclusion: The present study adds to the current literature examining motivations for e-cigarette use in adolescent girls. As eating disorders and e-cigarette dependence are significant public health concerns, our results highlight the need for intervention development.
Highlights
There has been a rapid increase in the use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), including electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), among adolescents in recent years
As nicotine vaping practices are higher in adults with eating disorders compared to controls [19], we hypothesized a positive correlation between e-cigarette dependence and behavioral/attitudinal symptoms associated with eating disorders in female adolescents
The number of participants completing each step of the survey is the following: [1] pre-screening survey (n = 1161), [2] informed consent (n = 397), [3] CAPTCHA (n = 373), [4] e-cigarette survey (n = 299), and [5] educational materials (n = 276)
Summary
There has been a rapid increase in the use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), including electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), among adolescents in recent years. During the period from 2011–2018, US data showed that e-cigarette usage increased from 1.5 to 20.8% in high school students and from 0.6 to 4.9% in middle school students [1]. This trend was attenuated somewhat from 2019 to 2020, adolescent vaping remains highly prevalent, with 22% of teenagers vaping nicotine in the past 30 days in 2020 [2]. Numerous motivations for vaping have been identified in adolescents, no study to date has examined a possible link between vaping and attitudes/behaviors that are associated with eating disorders in adolescent females. Examining this question in adolescent females is especially relevant given the higher prevalence of eating disorders in adolescent girls and women compared to adolescent boys and men
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