Prevalence of Flavored e-Cigarette Use Among Subpopulations of Adults in the United States

Abstract

Evidence of US adult flavored e-cigarette use prevalence stratified by age, smoking status, and purpose for vaping (ie, quitting smoking, to use when or where smoking is not allowed) can inform policies that reduce the tobacco-related cancer burden. Current flavored e-cigarette use (use 1 or more nontobacco flavors) prevalence estimates were compared across subpopulation groups using 2-sided statistical significance tests in the July 2018 Current Population Survey Tobacco Use Supplement, a nationally representative cross-sectional adult survey (n = 46 759). Current flavored e-cigarette use was reported by 1.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.47% to 1.69%) of all respondents. Among current vapers, the percentage of those who used flavored e-cigarettes was higher for adults aged 18-24 years (89.6%), 25-34 years (86.7%), and 35-44 years (76.0%) than for adults aged 45 years and older (60.4%, Ps < .001); was higher in never smokers (89.8%) than current (72.9%), long-term former (73.9%), and recent former (80.4%) smokers (Ps ≤.009); was higher in smokers who reportedly did (78.9%) vs did not (71.1%) use e-cigarettes to vape where or when smoking is not allowed (P = .005); and did not differ between smokers who reportedly did (75.0%) vs did not (73.9%) vape to quit smoking (P = .71). Individuals who vaped to quit smoking and currently used flavored e-cigarettes constituted 0.9% (95% CI = 0.82% to 0.99%) of all adults (weighted N = 2 251 000, 95% CI = 2 046 000 to 2 476 000) and 57.2% of current flavored e-cigarette users. Flavored e-cigarette use prevalence was low among US adults overall but common for current vapers. Flavored e-cigarette use was disproportionately prevalent among never smokers and other subpopulations that might experience harm from vaping.