Rapid growth in vaping and e-cigarette use among adolescents is associated with an increased risk of asthma, according to a new study.
A new study has found that vaping may increase the risk of asthma in teenagers who have never smoked conventional cigarettes or tobacco products.
The use of electronic cigarettes has increased dramatically in recent years, offering consumers a less toxic way to smoke compared to traditional cigarettes. However, e-cigarettes still contain a mix of harmful chemicals that raise concerns about respiratory illnesses.
This cross-sectional study is published in Preventive Medicine .
“This study aims to identify factors associated with e-cigarette use and explore the possible association between e-cigarette use and asthma among adolescents in Texas and the United States, based on data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System of 2015 to 2018,” the study researchers wrote.
This survey included information about e-cigarette use, how many days participants had used an e-cigarette in the past 30 days, and whether they had ever been told by a health care professional that they had asthma . The researchers included risk factors such as gender, age, race and ethnicity, body mass index, presence of depression symptoms, and use of other substances, such as traditional cigarettes, alcohol, and illicit drugs.
The researchers analyzed data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, a national survey established by the CDC in 1990 to monitor the behaviors and experiences of children and adolescents to assess trends in illness, death, disability, social problems, and risk factors. associates. The researchers performed multivariable logistic regression and stratified analyzes on this data set related to e-cigarette use from 2015 and 2019 among 3,042 high school students ages 13 to 17 in Texas and more than 32,000 adolescents in the United States.
After adjusting for covariates, an association was found between e-cigarette use and asthma in adolescents who had never smoked traditional tobacco products, both in Texas (odds ratio [OR], 1.32; 95% CI, 1 .06-1.66) as throughout the United States. States (OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.02-1.37).
Additionally, some risk factors identified by demographics, substance use, and the presence of depression were associated with e-cigarette use. Male sex (adjusted OR [aOR], 1.19; 95% CI, 1.07-1.32; P < 0.05), substance use (aOR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.05- 1.61; P < 0.05) and depression (aOR, 2.12; 95% CI, 1.80-2.49; P < 0.05) were associated with higher odds of ever using e-cigarettes, while that current use was associated with age (aOR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.00-1.15; P < 0.05) and white race (aOR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0 .34-0.54; P < 0.05).
In Texas, 44% of adolescents reported ever using e-cigarettes and 13.4% reported current e-cigarette use. Additionally, Hispanic adolescents living in Texas were significantly less likely to have used e-cigarettes (aOR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.52-0.72; P < 0.05) compared with white adolescents non-Hispanics living in Texas. However, the researchers found no significant differences in e-cigarette use among racial and ethnic groups in the United States overall.
The researchers acknowledged some limitations of the study, including the use of self-reported data, not including socioeconomic status in the analysis, and the cross-sectional design.
Although the researchers believe more research is needed to identify risk factors that might be associated with lower e-cigarette use among Hispanic adolescents living in Texas, they also believe the study adds relevant context to the burdens presented by the asthma and the increasing use of electronic cigarettes. -cigarettes among adolescents in the United States. Additionally, the researchers hope this study will be useful in public health efforts to reduce e-cigarette use.
"Increasing awareness about the harmful effects of e-cigarette use, implementing stricter regulations, and promoting alternative coping mechanisms for mental health are potential interventions to mitigate e-cigarette use," said Taehyun Roh, PhD, assistant professor at the Texas A&M University School of Science. Public Health, and lead author of the study, in a statement.
