Study Indicates Teenage Vaping Increases Cigarette Use Later

Study Indicates Teenage Vaping Increases Cigarette Use Later

Introduction

In the December issue of Pediatrics, a study was published by the researchers with Children’s National Hospital and the University of Texas at Austin, indicating that the use of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) as a teen increases the odds of traditional cigarette smoking.

The objective of the study was to investigate whether e-cigarette use and cigarette smoking are dependent on smoking intention status. The researchers analyzed data of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study, which is the U.S. nationally representative prospective cohort study of tobacco use. Data collected in 2014–2015 (wave 2) and 2015–2016 (wave 3) were used for the analysis, which was done in 2019.

The results revealed that teens who used e-cigarettes with no intention of smoking cigarettes in the future were four times more likely to find themselves smoking cigarettes a year later as compared to the ones who did not use e-cigarettes. The study also noted that the risk was similar to the teens who had the intention of smoking cigarettes in the future.

The researchers concluded that vaping might create an intention to smoke and/or nicotine use disorder that leads to the onset of cigarette smoking.

The vaping epidemic is growing in the U.S., and several lawsuits have been filed against JUUL and the manufacturers of other e-cigarettes, alleging life-long nicotine addictions, severe lung damage, and other injuries.

JUUL Labs Inc. is currently facing more than 1,100 lawsuits and class action claims, each raising similar allegations that the manufacturer created false and misleading advertisements for JUUL, plaguing the U.S. with nicotine addiction problems in recent years. The litigation has been centralized under MDL. No. 2913 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, presided by U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick III.