Association Between E-Cigarette Use and Acculturation Among Adult Immigrants in the United States. (June 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wang, Yang; Laestadius, Linnea; Stimpson, Jim P; Wilson, Fernando A
• Is Part Of: Substance abuse. Volume 13(2019)
• Publication Date: 2019-06
• Subjects: acculturation -- immigrants -- electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) -- electronic nicotine delivery systems -- smoking -- vaping -- male -- female; Substance abuse -- Periodicals; Substance abuse -- Treatment -- Periodicals; Drug abuse -- Periodicals; Drug abuse -- Treatment -- Periodicals; Substance Abuse & Addiction; Drug abuse; Drug abuse -- Treatment; Substance abuse; Substance abuse -- Treatment; Substance-Related Disorders -- therapy; Periodicals; 362.2905
• DOI: 10.1177/1178221819855086
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1178-2218

Abstract

Despite a dramatic increase in e-cigarette popularity in recent years, the relationship between acculturation and e-cigarette use among immigrants largely remains unknown. We investigated the association between acculturation, measured by both self-reported English proficiency and length of stay in the United States, and immigrants' use of e-cigarettes using data from the 2016-2017 National Health Interview Survey. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to examine the associations of acculturation factors with ever and current use of e-cigarettes. We found that high English proficiency increased the odds of ever using e-cigarettes among immigrants (adjusted odds ratios: "well, " 2.22; "very well, " 3.24; with the reference group being "not well"). The association was significant among only men. However, we did not find a significant association between length of stay in the United States and e-cigarette use after adjusting for English proficiency. Future research is warranted to investigate how peer use, family-level factors, country of origin, and marketing strategies jointly influence e-cigarette use among immigrants, especially men.