Juul Use Up in Young People 15 to 34 Years Old

THURSDAY, Jan. 30, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The number of teens and young adults who ever used Juul doubled in one year, according to a study published online Jan. 21 in JAMA Pediatrics.

Donna M. Vallone, Ph.D., M.P.H., from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and colleagues estimated the prevalence, patterns, and factors associated over time with electronic cigarette use among adolescents and younger adults in the United States. The analysis included two samples of respondents from the Truth Longitudinal Cohort (wave 7: 14,379, collected from Feb. 15, 2018, to May 25, 2018; and wave 8: 12,114, collected from Feb. 10, 2019, to May 17, 2019).

The researchers found that Juul use significantly increased from wave 7 to wave 8 among ever users (6.0 to 13.5 percent) and current users (3.3 to 6.1 percent). For every age group, Juul use increased but was highest among those aged 18 to 20 years (23.9 percent ever users and 12.8 percent current users) and 21 to 24 years (18.1 percent ever users and 8.2 percent current users). The prevalence of frequent use was higher in wave 8 versus wave 7 (37.6 versus 26.1 percent). Among participants who were e-cigarette-naive, significant factors associated with future Juul use included younger age, combustible tobacco use, lower harm perceptions, sensation seeking, and friends' e-cigarette use.

"Findings of this study underscore the critical need for increased e-cigarette product regulation at the federal, state, and local levels," the authors write.

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