Among youth who vape, USC study finds rise in daily use and difficulty quitting
Keck School of Medicine of USCPeer-Reviewed Publication
Since 2019, overall rates of nicotine vaping have declined among U.S. youth, but those who continue to vape are showing signs of worsening addiction, according to new USC research. Between 2020 and 2024, the share of current users who vaped every day increased from 15.4% to 28.8%. Over the same period, the share of daily users who tried to quit but were unable to rose from 28.2% to 53%. The researchers analyzed the past five years of data from Monitoring the Future, an annual in-school survey that asks 8th, 10th and 12th graders across the country about their substance use. Over the study period, the demographics of youth vapers also changed. By 2024, more vapers were female, non-Hispanic Black or from a rural area. More youth vapers also reported using other substances, including alcohol and cannabis. Among youth in rural communities, daily vaping jumped dramatically—from 16.4% in 2020 to 41.8% in 2024, a spike that has prompted the study team to examine further. Masonbrink is now planning a follow-up study with youth in urban, suburban and rural areas to explore their experiences with nicotine product marketing and product access, as well as prevention and public health messaging.
- Journal
- JAMA Network Open
- Funder
- NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH/National Cancer Institute, U.S. Food and Drug Administration