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2013 to 2021 Saw Shift in Smoking Habits of Young Adults

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Nov 19, 2023.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Nov. 17, 2023 -- Over time, young adults are moving away from combustible cigarettes to electronic cigarettes, according to a research letter published online Nov. 13 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Brandon T. Sanford, Ph.D., from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, and colleagues used data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health study (Sept. 12, 2013, to Nov. 30, 2021) to analyze trends in young adult (aged 18 to 24 years) tobacco use over time.

The researchers found that ever-smoking prevalence decreased from 53.2 to 35.2 percent, while ever e-cigarette use increased from 32.0 to 52.7 percent. Similarly, the prevalence of current established smoking decreased from 19.6 to 6.1 percent, while current established vaping increased from 3.8 to 14.5 percent. There was an increase noted over time in the prevalence of participants with current established vaping and who were never established smokers (from 1.1 percent overall and 27.9 percent of established vaping to 8.1 percent overall and 56.2 percent of established vaping). Increases in adjusted established vaping rates were seen over time for both sexes.

"These data may forecast a future in which e-cigarettes are the dominant tobacco product in the United States," the authors write.

One author reported testifying on behalf of plaintiffs who have filed law suits against the tobacco industry.

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

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Posted November 2023

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