E-cigarette Use Among Middle and High School Students - United States, 2020

Abstract

The use of any tobacco product by youths is unsafe, including electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) (1). Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive, can harm the developing adolescent brain, and can increase risk for future addiction to other drugs (1). E-cigarette use has increased considerably among U.S. youths since 2011 (1,2). Multiple factors have contributed to this increase, including youth-appealing flavors and product innovations (1-3). Amid the widespread use of e-cigarettes and popularity of certain products among youths, on February 6, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) implemented a policy prioritizing enforcement against the manufacture, distribution, and sale of certain unauthorized flavored prefilled pod or cartridge-based e-cigarettes (excluding tobacco or menthol).

FIGURE

Percentage of flavor types used by current (past 30-day) flavored e-cigarette users among U.S. middle and high school students, by device type^†, — National Youth Tobacco Survey, United States, 2020 * Flavor type use among current (past 30-day) users of flavored e-cigarettes was determined by answers to the question “What flavors were the e-cigarettes that you have used in the past 30 days? (Select one or more).” Response options were “menthol,” “mint,” “clove or spice,” “fruit,” “chocolate,” “alcoholic drinks (such as wine, cognac, margarita, or other cocktails),” “candy, desserts, or other sweets,” and “some other flavor not listed here” (write-in responses were not assessed). Data for “clove or spice” are not shown because of statistically unreliable estimates due to unweighted denominator <50 or relative standard error >30% across all device types. ^† Device type use among current e-cigarette users was determined by answers to the question “Which of the following best describes the type of e-cigarette you have used in the past 30 days? If you have used more than one type, please think about the one you use most often.” Response options were “a disposable e-cigarette,” “an e-cigarette that uses pre-filled pods or cartridges (e.g., JUUL),” “an e-cigarette with a tank that you refill with liquids,” “a mod system (an e-cigarette that can be customized by the user with their own combination of batteries or other parts),” and “I don’t know the type.” ^§ The following data were statistically unreliable and not shown due to unweighted denominator <50 or relative standard error >30%: use of chocolate flavor types among current flavored e-cigarette users of disposable e-cigarettes, mod systems, or those who reported “I don’t know the type” for device type; alcoholic drink flavor types among current flavored e-cigarette users of mod systems or those who reported “I don’t know the type” for device type; and “some other flavor” among current flavored e-cigarette users who reported “I don’t know the type” for device type.