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BACKGROUND: As smoking prevalence rates decline among youth in the United States, electronic cigarettes are becoming more popular and widely used by people of all ages, particularly youth. One of the biggest concerns among public health officials is the potential for e-cigarettes to become a path to smoking among young adults. Recent trends have suggested that middle and high school students are experimenting with e-cigarettes at increasing rates. Data on the impact of e-cigarettes on young people have been limited. To explore the usage patterns of e-cigarettes on Indiana youth, we reported the current and ever use of e-cigarettes among middle and high school students.
METHODS: We performed analysis of the 2012 IYTS data to examine the prevalence of Indiana youth who have ever used and currently use e-cigarettes. Ever use was defined as ever using the product one time or more. Current use was defined as using the product at least once in the past 30 days. SAS Survey procedure was used to calculate point estimates and 95% confidence intervals. 2014 results will be included in our analysis.
RESULTS: Of the 2,483 middle and 2,718 high school respondents, 1.3% and 3.8% reported currently using e-cigarettes. 3.9% middle and 10.6% high school students reported ever using e-cigarettes. Of those who reported never smoking, 16.1% middle and 7.46% high students reported ever using e-cigarettes. The prevalence of middle and high school students who currently use conventional cigarettes and e-cigarettes was 15.8% (95% CI: 8.7-23.0) and 19.5% (95% CI: 14.9-24.10).
CONCLUSIONS: E-cigarette use was found to be more common among white male students. The trend toward dual use of conventional cigarettes in combination with e-cigarettes is a real public health concern. Indiana is working diligently to include prohibiting e-cigarettes and electronic nicotine delivery systems in school district tobacco-free policies. In addition, continued surveillance is needed to gain a greater understanding of the trends of e-cigarette use among youth.