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Electronic cigarettes are taking the tobacco industry by storm, setting one record after another.
However, a new study has revealed older teens who have previously tried e-cigarettes are six times more prone to try traditional cigarettes within two years than those who have never use an e-cig.
Jessica Barrington-Trimis, the study’s senior researcher from the University of Southern California, said that teens who have tried vaping are more prone to try other types of tobacco products that are more dangerous for their health.
The findings are based on surveys conducted by USC in which roughly 300 high school students from southern California were enrolled. In 2014, around half of the students admitted they tried an e-cigarette. E-cigs are electronic devices that vaporize a liquid that’s usually made up of nicotine and a flavor compound.
A follow-up study carried out by the same team in 2017 found that around 40 percent of those who said they tried e-cigarettes in 2014 went on to try conventional cigarettes. The researchers took into consideration factors like grade, gender, ethnicity, and parental education.
The results still showed that teens who have tried e-cigarettes were six times more likely to try regular smoking than those who have not. All of the respondents in the survey were 11th and 12th grade students who were at least 18 years old by the time they participated in the second survey.
in 2017, the American Academy of Pediatrics suggested that e-cigarettes should be regulated as tobacco products. For the past year, the US Food and Drug Administration has gradually taken steps to cut down on e-cigarettes, banning its sales to anyone aged under 18 years of age.
At follow-up, all participants – now over the legal age for purchasing cigarettes – were asked about cigarette use. Compared to those who never tried electronic cigarettes, e-cigarette users were 6 times more likely to take up regular cigarette smoking at follow-up.
At the same time, e-cigarette users were more likely to also try other combustible tobacco products, such as pipes, hookah, or cigars by the second survey.
A recent report showed that, over the past decade, the elementary and middle school students smoking rate has declined.
Image Source: Parenting Syrup
