Prevalence and risk factors of electronic cigarette use among adolescents: Data from four Swedish municipalities. Issue 3 (August 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Geidne, Susanna; Beckman, Linda; Edvardsson, Ingrid; Hulldin, Johanna
• Is Part Of: Nordisk alkohol- & narkotikatidskrift. Volume 33:Issue 3(2016)
• Page Start: 225
• Page End: 240
• Publication Date: 2016-08
• Subjects: adolescents -- e-cigarette -- electronic cigarette -- smoking -- prevalence -- predictors; Alcoholism -- Scandinavia -- Periodicals; Drug abuse -- Scandinavia -- Periodicals; 616.86
• DOI: 10.1515/nsad-2016-0017
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1455-0725

Abstract

Aims: To assess the prevalence rates and risk factors of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use, with special focus on e-cigarettes containing nicotine, among grade 9 students (aged 15–16 years) in four different municipalities in Sweden. Methods: A cross-sectional sample of 665 adolescents was collected in April 2014. The data was analysed using binary logistic regression analysis. Results: The results show that 26% of adolescents in this study have smoked e-cigarettes (have ever used), while 19% have smoked e-cigarettes with nicotine or do not know whether or not they contained nicotine. The strongest risk factor for ever having used e-cigarettes (any type or with nicotine) was smoking conventional cigarettes. Having tried cigarettes and having tried snus, as well as using or having used alcohol and having smoked a water pipe were also statistically significant risk factors for ever use of any type of e-cigarettes but not for use of e-cigarettes with nicotine. There was no gender difference. Conclusions: Our result show that the use of e-cigarettes tends to cluster with the use of other substances, such as other tobacco products and alcohol. As a relatively large share of the participating adolescents, more than a fourth, had smoked e-cigarettes, this rather new phenomenon requires monitoring as a part of the tobacco control.