E-Cigarette Use Not Associated with Tobacco Cigarette Smoking Cessation Intent Among French Youths

Adolescent tobacco use continues to decline while the use of e-cigarettes is on the rise. E-cigarettes contain liquid nicotine, which is delivered to the lungs as vapor. By some, they are thought to be safer than tobacco and promoted as a public health solution to smoking. However, nicotine is highly addictive and the long-term effects of exposure to the chemicals in e-cigarettes are unknown. Researchers examined correlates of e-cigarette experimentation among 1458 French adolescents (49% female, mean age 16 years).

• Just over half of study participants had ever tried e-cigarettes (54%), or tobacco cigarettes (55%).
• Of the sample, 20% of those who had tried e-cigarettes had never tried tobacco cigarettes.
• E-cigarette use was not associated with tobacco cigarette cessation intent.

Comments:

In the US, e-cigarettes are widely available and some are sold in “vape shops” that market them as safe recreation, making them appealing to teens and young adults, the groups most likely to be harmed by these products. As the authors suggest, one approach to curbing the increasing use of e-cigarettes may be regulation of the their marketing and implementing health messages to prevent uptake, particularly among people who do not smoke tobacco cigarettes.

Sharon Levy, MD, MPH

Reference:

Rennie LJ, Bazillier-Bruneau C, Rouëssé J. Harm reduction or harm introduction? Prevalence and correlates of e-cigarette use among French adolescents. J Adolesc Health. 2016;58(4):440–445.