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E-cigarette popularity among adolescents due to 'novelty' factor

The popularity of e-cigarettes among ninth-grade students appears to be motivated by the appeal of trying something new, rather than smoking cessation, according to study results.

“Given their physical similarities to conventional cigarettes, there are concerns that the increasing use of e-cigarettes may result in the ‘renormalization’ of cigarette smoking,” Michael Khoury, MD, and colleagues wrote. “Therefore, we sought to evaluate the frequency, motivations and associated factors for use of e-cigarettes by students.”

The researchers conducted a cross-sectional study of students aged 14 to 15 years enrolled in grade 9 in the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada. The study was in cooperation with the Heart Niagara Inc. Healthy Heart Schools’ Program for the 2013 to 2014 school year. Researchers used a questionnaire to evaluate cigarette, e-cigarette and other tobacco use, self-estimated health and stress, and household income.

The principal outcome for this study was to assess the popularity of and motivations for using e-cigarettes and the sociodemographic connections with e-cigarette use, such as related tobacco use, the use of tobacco by friends and family, levels of stress and health, and socioeconomic status.

Out of 3,312 respondents, 2,367 answered at least one question in the smoking section of the questionnaire (53.8% were male with a mean age of 14.6) and 2,292 answered the question about use of e-cigarettes. Among those who responded to questions about the use of e-cigarettes, 69.8% had heard of them before, while 23.8% had learned about e-cigarettes from a store display.

Among the 238 (10.4%) students who reported use of e-cigarettes, 71.9% stated they tried them because it was “cool/fun/new,” and 5.8% who used them to stop or reduce smoking.

The researchers found reported e-cigarette use had a strong association with recent cigarette or other tobacco use, male sex, and family or friends who smoke. Use of e-cigarettes was also linked with self-rated fair/poor health, high level of stress, and lower mean and median household incomes.

“Use of e-cigarettes is common among students enrolled in grade 9 in the Niagara region and is associated with numerous potential risk factors, including exposure to use of tobacco by family members and friends, and personal tobacco use,” Khoury and colleagues conclude. “Adolescents in this population appear to be motivated by the appeal of trying something new. Future studies will be required to assess the short- and long-term health impact of e-cigarettes and whether they play a role in the adoption of future tobacco use.”– by Savannah Demko