Home smoking and vaping policies among US adults: results from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study, wave 3

Abstract

We examined the prevalence of home smoking and vaping restrictions among US adults, and compared home policy differences for smoking and vaping among vapers, smokers, and dual users.Secondary data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study Wave 3 (2015–2016) with 28,148 adults were analyzed using weighted multivariable logistic regression models that account for complex sampling design to compare differences in home policies among non-users, vapers only, smokers only, and dual users.Compared to never-users, current vapers who were ex-smokers and dual users were more likely to allow home vaping (aOR = 11.06, 95% CI: 8.04–15.21; aOR = 6.44, 95% CI: 5.01–8.28) and smoking (aOR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.19–2.22; aOR = 3.58, 95% CI: 2.88–4.45). Current smokers were more likely to allow vaping (aOR = 3.53, 95% CI: 3.06–4.06) and smoking (aOR = 4.27, 95% CI: 3.73–4.89) inside the home than never-users. Current vapers who never smoked were more likely to allow vaping inside the home than never-users (aOR = 2.45, 95% CI: 1.53–3.93). Vapers reported much lower rates of vape-free home policies relative to both their smoke-free home policies and to vape-free home policies among smokers.Vapers may be using e-cigarettes in hopes of harm reduction, but interpreting “harm reduction” as safe, thus exposing non-users in their homes to second- and thirdhand aerosols. This underscores the need to healthcare providers to extend intervention with vapers to include implementing vape-free home policies.