A new study shows that teenagers and young adults who started using e-cigarettes are more likely to smoke tobacco or cigarettes than those who do not use electronic devices. The study, sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, was published in JAMA Pediatrics.
The researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Cancer Center followed 694 people ages 16 to 26. They tracked the habits of their respondents for over a year. They found out that teenagers and young adults who started using e-cigarettes are more likely to smoke tobacco or cigarettes than those who do not use the electronic devices. The study, sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, was published in JAMA Pediatrics.
The researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Cancer Center followed 694 people ages 16 to 26. They tracked the habits of their respondents for over a year. They found out that young nonsmokers who showed no interest in smoking were more likely to smoke cigarettes if they used e-cigarettes, LA Times reports.
What are e-cigarettes? This is a device wherein a liquid filled with nicotine which are flavored can be inhaled in the form of a vapor. They took the market by storm since they were first introduced as a 'safer' and alternative way to taper or stop smoking. However, this was not the case. Instead, even nonsmokers use e-cigarettes because of the hype.
"While teen tobacco use has fallen in recent years, this study confirms that we should continue to vigilantly watch teen smoking patterns. Parents and teens should recognize that although e-cigarettes might not have the same carcinogenic effects of regular cigarettes, they do carry a risk of addiction," Dr. Nora D. Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse said in a press release.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that findings show that after one year, six of those using e-cigarettes or 37.5% had begun smoking compared with 65, or 9.6 percent of those who were not using e-cigarettes at the start of the trial.
The US Food and Drug Administration has increased efforts to decrease the rates of e-cigarette usage especially in teenagers as they are still uncertain of its health risks or benefits. The nicotine content of these electronic devices could lead to addiction just like in cigarettes.
"It will be important to continue surveillance among youth of both e-cigarette use and overlap with use of other tobacco products," the researchers wrote.