E-cigarette use and relations to tobacco and alcohol use among adolescents. 2015

Alfgeir L Kristjansson, and Inga Dora Sigfusdottir
Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA. alkristjansson@hsc.wvu.edu.

Electronic cigarette (EC) use is currently subject to a debate concerning safety, regulation need, and probable contribution to smoking cessation. An important gap in this debate is the lack of distinction between minors and adults. This is problematic because other principles of prevention apply to long-term users (such as most adult smokers) and experimental or probable users (more common in minors). This commentary focuses on two less discussed aspects of the EC debate: 1) whether EC use is likely to be additive to conventional cigarette and other tobacco use among minors, and 2) if EC use is likely to contribute to an overall increase in alcohol consumption and other drug use among minors. We find the results by Hughes et al. and others indeed suggestive of both. We conclude that EC use is likely to be additive to other tobacco use and increase the risk for alcohol use, therefore serving as another potential route to hazard for even mildly risk-prone minors. Policies to restrict the access and use of EC among minors are encouraged.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000428 Alcohol Drinking Behaviors associated with the ingesting of ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, including social drinking. Alcohol Consumption,Alcohol Intake,Drinking, Alcohol,Alcohol Drinking Habits,Alcohol Drinking Habit,Alcohol Intakes,Consumption, Alcohol,Drinking Habit, Alcohol,Habit, Alcohol Drinking,Habits, Alcohol Drinking,Intake, Alcohol
D012907 Smoking Willful or deliberate act of inhaling and exhaling SMOKE from burning substances or agents held by hand. Smoking Behaviors,Smoking Habit,Behavior, Smoking,Behaviors, Smoking,Habit, Smoking,Habits, Smoking,Smoking Behavior,Smoking Habits
D066300 Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems Devices or objects designed to provide NICOTINE in the form of an inhaled aerosol. E-Cig,E-Cigarette,Electronic Cigarette,Electronic Cigarettes,Electronic Nicotine Delivery System,E-Cigarettes,E-Cigs,Cigarette, Electronic,Cigarettes, Electronic,E Cig,E Cigarette,E Cigarettes,E Cigs

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