A new study of trends in e-cigarette use from 2014 to 2018 claims that vapor use is on the rise for 18- to 29-year-olds who have never smoked combustible cigarettes. The study from the American Cancer Society, published Monday in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, assessed trends based on age group and cigarette smoking histories.
“Urgent efforts are needed to address the potential rise in primary nicotine initiation with e-cigarettes among younger adults,” Priti Bandi, principal scientist, risk factors surveillance research for the American Cancer Society, said in a press release. “It is also important to aid the transition of e-cigarette users—particularly among younger adults—to non-use of all tobacco or nicotine products given that the long-term consequences of e-cigarette use are mostly unknown.”
Researchers examined data from the National Health Institute to pinpoint trends in younger (18-29 years), middle-aged (30-49 years), and older (50 years and older) populations, with cigarette smoking histories classified as current smokers, recent quitters (those who stopped smoking less than one year ago), near-term quitters (who quit between one and eight years ago), and never smokers.
E-cigarette use increased across the board among younger adults, with never smokers and near-term quitters seeing the most significant increases (1.3 percent–3.3 percent and 9.1 percent–19.2 percent, respectively). Middle-aged and older adults only saw notable increases in prevalence among near-term quitters, with e-cigarette use in middle-aged near-quitters jumping from 5.8 percent to 14.4 percent and older near-quitters climbing from 6.3 percent to 9.5 percent.