The Potential Harmful Effects of E-cigarettes in Youth: It’s Not Just Vapor Carolyn Ford Dominique L. McClain Trana Rashid Introduction “It’s not harmful, it’s just water vapor” is a common misconception about electronic cigarettes (EC) held by many American youth today.1 Because of this widespread belief, targeted marketing tactics, and other psychosocial factors, the use of EC has skyrocketed among adolescents and young adults.2 According to the 2016 National Youth Tobacco Surveys (NYTS) data analyzed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 4.3% of middle school students reported using EC over the past 30 days in 2016 compared to 0.6% in 2011.3 Similarly, 11.3% of high school students reported using EC over the past 30 days in 2016 compared to 1.5% in 2011. This sharp increase, rampant use in teens and young adults, and potentially harmful effects have prompted the U.S. Surgeon General to declare EC use a major public health concern.2 Accordingly, it is important that health professionals, especially pharmacists, become familiar with all aspects of EC use in this population. Prevalence of E-Cigarettes in Adolescents
EC use has sharply increased from 1.5% to 16% among high school students and 0.6% to 5.3% Electronic cigarettes are among middle school students the most common form of tobac- from 2011 to 2015.4 For the first co used by youth in the United time in 5 years, EC use dropped States.2 According to the 2016 from 16.8% to 11.3% among high NYTS CDC surveys, e-cigarette school students and 5.3% to 4.3% use among high and middle among middle school students beschool students, respectively, was tween 2015 and 2016.3 However, 11.3% (1.68 million users) and it is important to note that over 2 4.3% (500,000 users) in com- million youth are EC users and parison to traditional cigarettes, that this rate exceeds the use of which was 8.0% (1.18 million us- cigarettes and other tobacco proders) and 2.2% (260,000 users).3 ucts. Also, the same survey found 34
that current use of any tobacco product in high school students was 20.2% (1 in 5) and 7.2% (1 in 14) in middle school students for a total of 3.9 million tobacco users. Moreover, the use of multiple tobacco products is also prevalent in youth. Nearly 10% of high school students (47.2% reporting the use of any tobacco product) and 3.1% of middle school students (42.4% reporting use of any tobacco product) reported use of two or more tobacco products in the past 30 days.
