Recently within the United States there has been mounting concern at the reported increase in the use of e-cigarettes by young people. According to widespread media reporting one particular product ( JUUL vaporizer) has been characterized as largely responsible for that increased use. At the Global Forum on Nicotine to be held in Warsaw 13th June, researchers from the Centre for Substance Use Research in Glasgow will outline the results of research assessing the extent of JUUL use and JUUL awareness amongst a representative sample of 13 to 17 year olds within the U.S.
The researchers found that approximately 45.5% of 15 to 17 year olds in the U.S. and 29.1% of 13 to 14 year olds had heard or seen a JUUL. Amongst the 15 to 17 year olds surveyed 7.6% had used a JUUL in the past and 4.0% had done so within the last 30 days. Amongst the 13 to 14 year olds surveyed 1.5% had used a JUUL in the past and 0.8% had done so in the last 30 days.
Any level of e-cigarette use by teens must be of concern, however, efforts aimed at tackling such use need to be based on accurate assessments of use prevalence. The research by the Glasgow team shows that, at present, JUUL use is less prevalent amongst young people in the U.S. than many media commentators have been suggesting. However, there is a need to measure e-cigarette prevalence by young people on a regular basis to assess the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing the extent of youth e-cigarette use.
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Journal
American Journal of Health Behavior