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. 2019 Oct 25:16:101011.
doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2019.101011. eCollection 2019 Dec.

Youth source of acquisition for E-Cigarettes

Hannah M Baker  1 , Sarah D Kowitt  2 , Clare Meernik  3 , Courtney Heck  4 , Jim Martin  4 , Adam O Goldstein  2 , Leah Ranney  2
Affiliations

Youth source of acquisition for E-Cigarettes

Hannah M Baker et al. Prev Med Rep. .

Abstract

As rates of traditional cigarette smoking have decreased among youth over the past several years, rates of e-cigarette use have increased. Little evidence exists on how youth obtain e-cigarettes. We used data from middle and high school students under the age of 18 who reported using an e-cigarette in the past 30 days from the 2017 North Carolina Youth Tobacco Survey (n = 640). We used chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regressions to examine correlates of access and place of acquisition. Over half (51.5%) of youth report acquiring e-cigarettes from a friend. Youth in 12th grade had higher odds of acquiring e-cigarettes from a vape shop (aOR: 2.54, 95% CI: 1.25, 5.15) or retail outlet (aOR: 2.40, 95% CI: 1.18, 4.90) than youth in middle school. Compared to non-Hispanic white youth, Hispanic youth had lower odds of acquiring e-cigarettes from a vape shop (aOR: 0.42, 95% CI: 0.20, 0.87). Youth living with someone who uses e-cigarettes, compared to those who did not, had higher odds of acquiring e-cigarettes from a family member (aOR: 3.95, 95% CI: 1.94, 8.05). Finally, current smokers had higher odds of acquiring e-cigarettes from a retail outlet (aOR: 3.28, 95% CI: 1.88, 5.70) and lower odds of acquiring e-cigarettes from a friend (aOR: 0.53, 95% CI: 0.36, 0.77). Youth primarily reported obtaining e-cigarettes from a friend. Living with someone who uses e-cigarettes may be a risk factor for acquiring e-cigarettes from family members. Identifying sources of e-cigarette acquisition will help inform interventions preventing youth e-cigarette access.

Keywords: Adolescent; Behavior; Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems; Policy; vaping.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Source of acquisition for e-cigarettes in the past 30 days, among current e-cigarette users, n = 640, from the North Carolina Youth Tobacco Survey, 2017.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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