Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Nov;53(5):652-660.
doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2017.06.033. Epub 2017 Aug 29.

Characteristics of Adults Who Switched From Cigarette Smoking to E-cigarettes

Su Hyun Park  1 , Dustin T Duncan  2 , Omar El Shahawy  3 , Lily Lee  4 , Jenni A Shearston  5 , Kosuke Tamura  2 , Scott E Sherman  6 , Michael Weitzman  7
Affiliations

Characteristics of Adults Who Switched From Cigarette Smoking to E-cigarettes

Su Hyun Park et al. Am J Prev Med. 2017 Nov.

Abstract

Introduction: Because of the rapidly increasing use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), this study aimed to investigate the individual characteristics and state-level prevalence of U.S. adults who have switched to e-cigarettes from traditional cigarettes.

Methods: Data from the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 National Adult Tobacco Surveys were analyzed in 2016. Relative percent change in switching was estimated, and the state-specific prevalence of adults who switched to e-cigarettes from traditional cigarettes was calculated and mapped. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to examine how switching varied by sociodemographic subgroups and region.

Results: Overall, the number of individuals who switched from traditional cigarettes to e-cigarettes increased by approximately 100% over the 1-year interval. Significant increases were found among a number of sociodemographics and regions. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that young adults and those living in the South and West were more likely to switch to e-cigarettes, compared to former smokers who did not switch. Compared with current dual users, those with higher education and those who were not single were more likely to switch to e-cigarettes. The state with the highest prevalence of switching was New Mexico (7.3%), whereas Connecticut had the lowest prevalence (0.8 %) among former smokers.

Conclusions: There is an increase in the progression from traditional cigarette use to e-cigarette use. Further research is warranted to determine whether this change continues and facilitates cigarette smoking cessation as a possible public health benefit and opportunity to save lives rather than constitutes a potential threat to public health.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
State-specific weighted prevalence of people who switched to e-cigarettes in the U.S.: National Adult Tobacco Survey, 2012–2013 and 2013–2014.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Agaku IT, King BA, Husten CG, et al. Tobacco product use among adults—United States, 2012–2013. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2014;63(25):542–547. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hu SS, Neff L, Agaku IT, et al. Tobacco product use among adults—United States, 2013–2014. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2016;65(27):685–691. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6527a1. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Singh T, Arrazola RA, Corey CG, et al. Tobacco use among middle and high school students—United States, 2011–2015. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2016;65(14):361–367. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6514a1. - DOI - PubMed
    1. CDC. Current smoking. www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/earlyrelease201605_08.pdf. Published 2016.
    1. Schoenborn CA, Gindi RM. Electronic cigarette use among adults: United States, 2014. NCHS Data Brief. 2015;217:1–8. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources