Abstract
INTRODUCTIONE-cigarette ever use has risen significantly in recent years in Ireland, similar to trends elsewhere in Europe, the United States, and Asia-Pacific region. Results from ESPAD Ireland (European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs) show teenage e-cigarette ever use increased from 18% (2015) to 37% (2019). Given this increase, our aim is to profile e-cigarette ever users and never users in this age group; to examine sociodemographic, personal, peer, and familial factors associated with e-cigarette ever use; and to suggest appropriate measures to reduce use.METHODSA nationally representative stratified random sample of 50 ESPAD schools was surveyed in 2019, with 3495 students aged 15–17 years. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed using Stata version 16.RESULTSE-cigarette ever use was significantly associated with ever smoking (AOR=4.15; 95% CI: 1.29–13.41), ever cannabis use (AOR=2.21; 95% CI: 1.11–4.41) and ever inhalants use (AOR=2.51; 95% CI: 1.07–5.88). Children of university-educated mothers had significantly higher odds of e-cigarette ever use (AOR=3.46; 95% CI: 1.40–8.54). Associated with reduced AORs were reading books for enjoyment (AOR=0.32; 95% CI: 0.16–0.64), living in households where smoking was regulated (AOR=0.53; 95% CI: 0.30–0.94), and perceiving moderate risk in trying e-cigarettes once or twice (AOR=0.20; 95% CI: 0.07–0.67).CONCLUSIONSE-cigarette ever use is part of a pattern of teenage polysubstance use including cigarette smoking, providing some support for the common liability theory. Regulation of smoking in the home, reading for enjoyment, and perceiving risk from e-cigarette use are associated with decreased likelihood of ever use, and higher parental education with increased likelihood. Thus, health education emphasizing the role of parents and risks of e-cigarette use is indicated to reduce the rise in e-cigarette ever use in teenagers.
Highlights
E-cigarette ever use has risen significantly in recent years in Ireland, similar to trends elsewhere in Europe, the United States, and Asia-Pacific region
Characteristics of e-cigarette ever users, bivariate analyses A total of 3495 students were included in the analysis
Our findings about increased e-cigarette ever use among people aged 15– 17 years with higher-educated mothers (AOR=3.46; 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs): 1.40–8.54) may indicate that e-cigarette ever use has more in common with alcohol and other drug use than it has with smoking or that more-educated parents have different attitudes to e-cigarettes than less-educated parents
Summary
E-cigarette ever use has risen significantly in recent years in Ireland, similar to trends elsewhere in Europe, the United States, and Asia-Pacific region. Results from ESPAD Ireland (European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs) show teenage e-cigarette ever use increased from 18% (2015) to 37% (2019). Regulation of smoking in the home, reading for enjoyment, and perceiving risk from e-cigarette use are associated with decreased likelihood of ever use, and higher parental education with increased likelihood. E-cigarette use among teenagers in Ireland has risen significantly in recent years and findings from ESPAD Ireland (European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs) show that in 2019 in Ireland, among children born in 2003, e-cigarette ever use prevalence was 37%1. E-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among young people in the US10
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