Latent class trajectories: U.S. adolescents' nicotine use and its association with nicotine dependence. (December 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Boyd, Carol J.; Veliz, Philip; Evans-Polce, Rebecca; Eisman, Andria B.; Esteban McCabe, Sean
• Is Part Of: Addictive behaviors reports. Volume 12(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-12
• Subjects: E-cigarettes -- Cigarette use -- Adolescent nicotine/tobacco use trajectories; BIC Bayesian information criterion -- GEE generalized estimating equations -- LCA latent class analysis -- LRT likelihood ratio test -- NYTS National Youth Tobacco Survey -- PATH Study Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study -- SD standard deviation -- WISDM-68 Wisconsin Inventory of Smoking Dependence Motives; Compulsive behavior -- Periodicals; 616.8584
• DOI: 10.1016/j.abrep.2020.100303
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2352-8532

Abstract

Highlights: Youth's 30-day nicotine/tobacco use increased across three waves of PATH: 2013–2017. Cigarette use associated with greater nicotine/tobacco dependence than e-cigarettes. LCA revealed variability in youths' nicotine/tobacco use & dependence trajectories. Findings have relevance for prevention messages with high-risk youth. Abstract: Introduction: Twenty-seven percent of adolescents used a nicotine/tobacco product in 2018. Our study analyzed three waves from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study and examined adolescent nicotine/tobacco use trajectories over time to determine which latent classes were associated with symptoms of nicotine dependence. Methods: The PATH Study used a four-stage, stratified area probability sample and annual household interviews with adolescents (12–17 years). Adolescents who indicated past 30-day nicotine/tobacco use at least once were included ( n = 1101). We used latent class analysis (LCA) to identify nicotine/tobacco trajectories across three waves of PATH data and their association with six symptoms consistent with nicotine dependence from the Wisconsin Inventory of Smoking Dependence Motives (WISDM-68). Results: All types of past 30-day nicotine/tobacco use increased across the three waves. An LCA model fit was assessed using both the CIV and entropy measures in conjunction with the Vuong-Lo-Mendell-Rubin LRT. A five latent class solution had the lowest BIC value (BIC = 9784.272), and resulted in: (1) "Stable/consistent multiproduct use trajectory", (2) "Increasing cigarette use trajectory", (3) "Increasing e-cigarette use trajectory", (4) "Experimental (poly-nicotine/tobacco) use trajectory", and (5) "Increasing other nicotine/tobacco use trajectory". The most prevalent was the "Experimental (poly-nicotine/tobacco) use trajectory" (33.8%) although sex, race, and social class were associated with different trajectories. Those represented by the "Increasing cigarette use trajectory" (19.4%) reported significantly more past-year nicotine dependence symptoms (b = 1.73, p < 0.001) compared to the "Increasing e-cigarette use trajectory". Findings varied by sex and race. Conclusions: Results indicate that the relationship between e-cigarette use and other forms of nicotine/tobacco and substance use is complex and that adolescent nicotine/tobacco users are a heterogenous group with different risks for nicotine dependence. Findings can inform tailored prevention education and messaging for different groups of youth.