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Nicotine vaping increasing among teens

Use of electronic cigarettes containing nicotine among adolescents more than doubled from 2017 to 2019, according to data published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

For the study, the researchers evaluated responses from nationally representative samples of students in 12th, 10th and eighth grades for 2017, 2018 and 2019. The total number of respondents exceeded 40,000 each year, with response rates of 80% or higher for these 3 years in all three grades. Analyses on e-cigarette use were based on responses from a randomly selected subset of students who were asked about nicotine vaping.

Results showed significant increases from 2018 to 2019 in the prevalence of students who vaped nicotine during the previous 30 days at all grade levels. In 2019, the prevalence of 30-day nicotine vaping was 1 in 4 for 12th graders, more than 1 in 5 for 10th graders and more than 1 in 11 for 8th graders — all of which were more than twice as high as in 2017. There were also increases from 2018 to 2019 at all three grade levels in the prevalence of students who vaped nicotine during the previous 12 months and in the prevalence of students who reported having ever vaped nicotine.

Additionally, the researchers found that 12% of 12th graders, 7% of 10th graders and 2% of 8th graders reported daily nicotine vaping, which was defined as nicotine vaping on at least 20 days during the previous 30 days in 2019.

“Current efforts by the vaping industry, government agencies and schools have thus far proved insufficient to stop the rapid spread of nicotine vaping among adolescents. Of particular concern are the accompanying increases in the proportions of youth who are physically addicted to nicotine, an addiction that is very difficult to overcome once established,” the researchers wrote. “New efforts are needed to protect youth from using nicotine during adolescence, when the developing brain is particularly susceptible to permanent changes from nicotine use and when almost all nicotine addiction is established.” – by Melissa Foster

Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.