Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Introduction
There is a lack of research prospectively estimating the age of e-cigarette initiation in U.S. young adults.Methods
Secondary analysis of PATH young adults across 2013-2017 (waves 1-4) were conducted. We prospectively estimated age of initiation of: ever, past 30-day, and fairly regular e-cigarette use using weighted interval-censoring survival analyses. Interval-censoring Cox proportional hazard models adjusting for sex, race/ethnicity, and previous use of six other tobacco products (cigarettes, traditional cigars, filtered cigars, cigarillos, hookah, and smokeless tobacco) were fitted for each of the three e-cigarette initiation outcomes.Results
Among never e-cigarette users, by age 21, 16.8% reported ever use, 7.2% reported past 30-day use, and 2.3% reported fairly regular e-cigarette use. Males had increased risk of initiating ever, past 30-day, and fairly regular e-cigarette use at earlier ages compared to females. Hispanic young adults had increased risk of initiating ever and past 30-day e-cigarette use at earlier ages compared to Non-Hispanic White young adults. Previous use of other tobacco products before e-cigarette initiation increased the risk of an earlier age of e-cigarette initiation.Conclusion
Prevention and education campaigns should focus on young adults in order to alleviate the public health burden of initiating e-cigarette use at earlier ages.
SUBMITTER: Perez A
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8668126 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature