The prevalence of electronic cigarette use has exponentially grown. However there is a lack of empirical information about why individuals use these devices. Additionally, adolescents may be vulnerable to initiation of e-cigarettes because of beliefs that e-cigarettes are not harmful or addictive, youth-targeted marketing, availability of e-cigarettes in flavors attractive to youths, and ease of accessing e-cigarettes. HEAL has led or been involved in research on the determinants, correlates, and consequences of adolescent e-cigarette use. Additionally, we are currently investigating the abuse potential of e-cigarettes in the laboratory.
Notable Contributions:
- E-cigarette use is more common than conventional cigarette use among teens, and a sizeable portion of teen e-cigarette users have never smoked combustible tobacco.
- We have been involved in work showing the importance of peer influences on teen e-cigarette use, such that adolescents who have friends that use e-cigarettes are much more likely to use e-cigarettes themselves.1
- Among 9th graders who never smoked a combustible tobacco product, those who used e-cigarettes (vs. those who never used e-cigarettes) were more likely to initiate use of conventional cigarettes, cigars, and hookah and were more likely to become users of multiple combustible tobacco products.2
Current and Future Directions:
- A placebo-controlled, double-blind laboratory study investigating the impact of flavorings on the abuse potential of e-cigarettes (P50-CA180905-02S1, Supplement Director – Leventhal; MPIs- Samet, Pentz).
- A study that incorporates both laboratory and ecological momentary assessment methodologies to investigate whether e-cigarettes surpass, have no effect, or possibly increase smoking behavior among dual users (pilot grant from the USC Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science [P50-CA180905] in collaboration with Dr. Jimi Huh).
Implications:
This work informs the Food and Drug Administration and other agencies about tactics for regulating electronic cigarettes and other tobacco products. We hope to identify product dimensions of e-cigarettes that can be altered in order to protect youth, mitigate the harms of tobacco, and maximize the benefits of harm-reducing tobacco products on the population.