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. 2020 Jul;68(5):455-459.
doi: 10.1080/07448481.2019.1577867. Epub 2019 Mar 26.

Prevalence and reasons for Juul use among college students

Melinda Ickes  1 , Jakob W Hester  2 , Amanda T Wiggins  3 , Mary Kay Rayens  4 , Ellen J Hahn  4 , Ramakanth Kavuluru  5
Affiliations

Prevalence and reasons for Juul use among college students

Melinda Ickes et al. J Am Coll Health. 2020 Jul.

Abstract

Objective: Examine Juul use patterns, sociodemographic and personal factors associated with Juul use, and reasons for Juul initiation and current use, among college students. Participants: Convenience sample of 371 undergraduates at a large university in the southeast; recruited April 2018. Methods: Cross-sectional design using an online survey. Logistic regression identified the personal risk factors for current use. Results: Over 80% of participants recognized Juul; 36% reported ever use and 21% past 30-day use. Significant risk factors for current Juul use were: male, White/non-Hispanic, lower undergraduate, and current cigarette smoker. Current Juul users chose ease of use and lack of a bad smell as reasons for use. Ever Juul users most commonly endorsed curiosity and use by friends as reasons for trying Juul. Conclusions: Given the propensity for nicotine addiction among youth and young adults, rates of Juul use are alarming and warrant immediate intervention.

Keywords: E-cigarette; tobacco prevention; young adult.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of the University of Kentucky.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Percent of participants who agreed or strongly agreed with each item on a list of reasons for first Juul use (among ever users, n=133) and current Juul use (among current users, n=55). Note: Participants were asked to rate all that apply; so percentages total to more than 100.
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