Abstract
BackgroundData are lacking on type of e-liquid vaped among e-cigarette users. Further, few studies assess all sources of nicotine used by e-cigarette users to assess whether poly-nicotine use relates to nicotine dependence (ND). The objectives were to describe young adult e-cigarette users by: (i) type of e-liquid vaped; (ii) poly-nicotine use; (iii) ND symptoms; and (iv) attempts to quit conventional cigarettes.MethodsData were available in cycle 23 of a longitudinal investigation on the natural course of cigarette smoking and ND. A total of 775 young adults (44% male; mean (SD) age 30.5(1.0)) completed mailed self-report questionnaires in 2017–20.ResultsOf 775 participants, 149 (19.2%) reported past-year e-cigarette use. Overall, 55.0% of e-cigarette users had used cannabis-containing e-liquid (31.5% vaped cannabis e-liquid exclusively); 50.4% used nicotine-containing e-liquid (23.5% vaped nicotine e-liquid exclusively); and 39.9% used e-liquid without nicotine (8.7% vaped e-liquid without nicotine exclusively). Most e-cigarette users (82.6%) used other nicotine-containing products including conventional cigarettes (72.5%); 60.8% reported ND symptoms, rising to 79.4% among those who vaped nicotine-containing e-liquid. Finally, 29.0% tried to quit conventional cigarettes using e-cigarettes in the past-year, but only 16.7% found them helpful.ConclusionsE-cigarettes now appear to appeal to a broader market than smokers who want to quit. More than half of young adult e-cigarette users vaped cannabis-containing e-liquid in the past year while only one-quarter had used e-cigarettes to assist with cessation. Most e-cigarette users used multiple nicotine-containing substances (including combustible cigarettes) which were associated with reports of ND symptoms.
Highlights
Data are lacking on type of e-liquid vaped among e-cigarette users
Because ecigarette use is escalating among adolescents and young adults [1, 2], there is growing concern that the tobacco industry is targeting young people [4, 5] with e-cigarette marketing strategies that appeal to this age group including colorful packaging, a significant online presence [4,5,6], celebrity endorsements [5] and more than 7000 flavors, most of which are fruit- or confectionary-flavored [7]
Additional concerns include the presence of nicotine in e-cigarettes which could hinder cessation efforts and delay cessation [4], the impact of e-cigarette use on re-normalizing smoking [4], smoking re-uptake in former smokers [4], and growing evidence that ecigarettes might be a gateway to cigarette smoking initiation in youth [4, 21,22,23]
Summary
Data are lacking on type of e-liquid vaped among e-cigarette users. Further, few studies assess all sources of nicotine used by e-cigarette users to assess whether poly-nicotine use relates to nicotine dependence (ND). The objectives were to describe young adult e-cigarette users by: (i) type of e-liquid vaped; (ii) poly-nicotine use; (iii) ND symptoms; and (iv) attempts to quit conventional cigarettes. Because ecigarette use is escalating among adolescents and young adults [1, 2], there is growing concern that the tobacco industry is targeting young people [4, 5] with e-cigarette marketing strategies that appeal to this age group including colorful packaging, a significant online presence [4,5,6], celebrity endorsements [5] and more than 7000 flavors, most of which are fruit- or confectionary-flavored [7]. Poly-nicotine use is common in young people [1, 4, 24, 25]; it is estimated that only 1.4% of U.S adults are sole e-cigarette users [26]
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