A new study published in Pediatrics suggests that adolescents are more likely to use e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes if friends and family are using them or approve of them.
Researchers analyzed data they obtained from the Southern California Children’s Health Study. The data consisted of 2,084 eleventh and twelfth grade students who completed surveys about their use of e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes, and surrounding attitudes about their use at home and around friends.
Overall, 499 students (24%), had reported that they used e-cigarettes at least once during their lifetime. Of the 499 students, 200 (9.6%) had used an e-cigarette in the past 30 days. Fewer students reported using traditional cigarettes: 390 (18.7%) smoked at least once in their lifetime and 119 students (5.7%) reported smoking at least once in the past 30 days.
Researchers further discovered that e-cigarette use was greater among participants with the most friends who also used e-cigarettes or with good friends who reacted positively to these devices. Approximately 91% of all e-cigarette users believed that their friends reacted in a positive manner towards their habit, compared to 75.6% of traditional cigarette users.
The team concluded that further studies of young adults are needed to investigate the long-term health effects of e-cigarettes.
Sources for Today’s Article:
Barrington-Trimis, J.L., et al., “Psychosocial factors associated with adolescent electronic cigarette and cigarette use,” Pediatrics, doi: 10.1542/peds.2015-0639, published online July 27 2015.
McIntosh, J., “Adolescent e-cigarette use boosted by friend and family approval,” Medical news Today web site, July 28, 2015; http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/297366.php.