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.