Where There Is (No) Smoke, There Is Still Fire: a Review of Trends, Reasons for Use, Preferences and Harm Perceptions of Adolescent and Young Adult Electronic Cigarette Use

Priya Sarin Gupta; Kelly M Kalagher

doi:10.1007/s40124-021-00240-1

Where There Is (No) Smoke, There Is Still Fire: a Review of Trends, Reasons for Use, Preferences and Harm Perceptions of Adolescent and Young Adult Electronic Cigarette Use

Curr Pediatr Rep. 2021;9(3):47-51. doi: 10.1007/s40124-021-00240-1. Epub 2021 May 10.

Authors

Priya Sarin Gupta^{1

2}, Kelly M Kalagher¹

Affiliations

¹ Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 1600, Boston, MA 02114 USA.
² Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA.

Abstract

Purpose of the review: To review the current prevalence, trends, perceptions, and effects of e-cigarette or vaping product use associated lung injury (EVALI) on e-cigarette use among US adolescents and young adults.

Recent findings: COVID-19 diagnosis was more likely among the current/ever dual cigarette and e-cigarettes users, as well as ever e-cigarette only users. Additionally, the EVALI outbreak may have influenced harm perceptions, as daily nicotine vaping declined significantly from 2019 to 2020, and more youth and young adults perceived vaping as harmful.

Summary: The prevalence of e-cigarette use, specifically flavored use, remains high among adolescents and young adults, which is concerning due to the short-term and unknown long-term effects of e-cigarettes and their association with future cigarette and other substance use.

Keywords: Adolescent vaping; EVALI; Vaping and COVID-19; Youth and young adult e-cigarette use; Youth flavored e-cigarette use.

Publication types

Review