A new investigational research has proven an old saying “If you
play with fire, you get burned”. Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) manufactures
have promoted their product as a tool that may help smokers reduce the use of
traditional combustible cigarettes. This might not be completely true (Cigarettesare BAD - Both Normal as well as E-Cigs).
Concept: Adolescents and young adults are true-to-word experimentalist, who
will just taste anything and everything that is advertised. Moreover, this
unique nature of the young’s is a global phenomenon. So, it didn’t take E-cigs
any time to move into the world of the young and restless. According to data
collected in 2014, 13.4% of US high school students have used e-cigarettes in
the past 30 days, compared with only 9.2% who smoked cigarettes. Though the percentages
users of e-cigs are more than traditional cigarettes, a report published in JAMAPediatrics suggest that these E-cigs users may be at risk for subsequent
progression to traditional cigarette smoking.
E-cigarettes, also called electronic nicotine delivery systems produce
an aerosol mix of flavored liquids and nicotine that is inhaled by the user. E-cigarettes
are available in various designs such as resembling traditional cigarettes,
cigars, pipes, or even like common gadgets such as flashlights, flash drives,
or pens. E-cigarette use has increased rapidly in the past decade in both
adolescents and adults. National Youth Tobacco Survey done by Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention’s report an increase in E-cig usage from 4.5% in 2011 to
13.4% in 2014, affecting more than 2.2 million students.
This alarming rise in E-cigs usage promoted the study to determine
whether baseline use of e-cigarettes among nonsmoking and nonsusceptible adolescents
and young adults is associated with subsequent progression along an established
trajectory to traditional cigarette smoking.
Method: In this longitudinal cohort study, a national US sample of 694
participants aged 16 to 26 years who were never cigarette smokers and were
attitudinally nonsusceptible to smoking cigarettes completed baseline surveys
from October 1, 2012, to May 1, 2014, regarding smoking in 2012-2013. They were
reassessed 1 year later. Analysis was conducted from July 1, 2014, to March 1,
2015.
Results:
a: Adolescents and young adults who smoke electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes)
are much more likely than those who had not smoked e-cigarettes to progress to
traditional combustible cigarette use.
b: Among 694 youth who were not susceptible to cigarette use, after 1
year, 68.8% of e-cigarette users and only 18.9% of those who had not smoked
e-cigarettes had smoked a traditional combustible cigarette.
The authors concluded as “Our study identified a longitudinal
association between baseline e-cigarette use and progression to traditional
cigarette smoking among adolescents and young adults. Especially considering
the rapid increase in e-cigarette use among youth, these findings support
regulations to limit sales and decrease the appeal of e-cigarettes to
adolescents and young adults.”
Article Citation: Mikkelsen Primack, B. A.; et. al. Progression to Traditional Cigarette Smoking After
Electronic Cigarette Use Among US Adolescents and Young Adults. JAMA Pediatr 2015. DOI:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.1742
