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Review
. 2018 Mar 26:6:86.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2018.00086. eCollection 2018.

E-Cigarette Use Among Adolescents: An Overview of the Literature and Future Perspectives

Evanthia P Perikleous  1 , Paschalis Steiropoulos  1   2 , Emmanouil Paraskakis  1   3 , Theodoros C Constantinidis  1   4 , Evangelia Nena  1   4
Affiliations
Review

E-Cigarette Use Among Adolescents: An Overview of the Literature and Future Perspectives

Evanthia P Perikleous et al. Front Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are rapidly emerging into a new trend among adolescents, signaling a new époque, that of vapers. E-cigarettes are battery-powered nicotine delivery devices that heat a typically flavoring liquid solution into an aerosol mist that users inhale, allowing them to imitate the act of conventional smoking. There are concerns about the impact of e-cigarettes at both individual and public health level.

Aim: To discuss the characteristics of the most vulnerable, to become e-cigarette users, group of adolescents and to further highlight their behaviors and characteristics.

Methods: An electronic search in PubMed, EMBASE, and Google Scholar databases was conducted, using combinations of the following keywords: adolescents, teenagers, e-cigarettes, vaping. The search included all types of articles written in English until August 2017. A total of 100 articles were found, and 25 were finally included in the present review.

Results: Older age, male gender, conventional smokers, peer influence, daily smoking, and heavier smoking are the most common characteristics of adolescent e-cigarette users.

Conclusion: E-cigarette use is common, especially between certain subgroups in the adolescent population. Since e-cigarette use is increasing and considering that the long term health effects are still under investigation, targeted interventions towards more susceptible individuals may be an effective prevention strategy.

Keywords: adolescents; e-cigarettes; electronic cigarette; teenagers; vaping.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of the search strategy.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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