Study shows e-cigarettes are attracting low-risk youth A recent study published in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) PubMed shows that e-cigarettes are attracting kids who are at a low risk for starting smoking. The study refutes the assertion that young people who start using e-cigarettes are those who would otherwise start smoking regular cigarettes. The study also shows that kids who start using e-cigarettes are more likely to be smoking regular cigarettes a year later.
Key findings:
- E-cigarette use has been shown to be associated with onset of cigarette smoking among adolescents, but it is not clear whether this might just mean that adolescents who were susceptible to smoking are more likely to use both substances.
- The study tested this proposition with an empirically derived score for propensity to smoke cigarettes and found that the effect of e-cigarettes for smoking onset was stronger among participants who initially were at lower risk for smoking.
- The findings demonstrate that e-cigarette use is not just a marker for high-risk adolescents and show that e-cigarettes are a risk factor for smoking onset.
- Conclusions: The results indicate e-cigarette use is a risk factor for smoking onset, not just a marker of high risk for smoking. This study provides evidence that e-cigarettes are recruiting lower risk adolescents to smoking, which has public health implications.
E-cigarette manufacturers take aim at kids with fruit and candy flavors and marketing designed to reach and appeal to youth. Seven out of ten kids are exposed to e-cigarette marketing, and it’s taking a toll on our young people. The most recent statistics from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey show that e-cigarette use is at an alarming 22 percent among North Dakota high school students. Teens who use e-cigarettes are three to four times more likely to start smoking than non-e-cigarette users.
Tobacco companies need new customers, and those customers start young. More than 80 percent of adult smokers start before age 18. We need strong youth prevention programs now to prevent new products from hooking a new generation, leading to a lifetime of addiction, disease, and premature death. See our website to find out more about how we can keep the next generation tobacco-free and nicotine-free.
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