Footprints in time: individual, social, and environmental factors and never-use of e-cigarettes among Indigenous adolescents

Abstract

Electronic cigarette (e-cigarettes or vapes) use is becoming increasingly common, including among adolescents aged 12-15 years, who are often targeted through marketing and flavoured products. We aimed to investigate associations between individual, social, and environmental factors and e-cigarette never-use (hereafter referred to as never-use) among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adolescents in 2018. This was a cross-sectional analysis of Wave 11 data from the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (N = 440). Poisson regression was used to calculate prevalence ratios of never-use in relation to individual, social, and environmental factors. Never-use was reported by 89.3% of adolescents; 2.5% reported e-cigarette use with nicotine in the last 12 months. Never-use was associated with not using other substances (cigarettes, alcohol, or marijuana), positive social relationships as well as supportive home and education environments. We did not identify significant associations between e-cigarette use and (1) individual factors: suicidal ideation and physical activity; or e-cigarette use and (2) family factors: caregivers' perception of the child's friends and schooling. Never-use was common within a cohort of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adolescents aged 12-15 years and was associated with supportive peer groups, school, and community environments. The factors identified as protective against e-cigarette use largely mirror those protective against cigarette use in this population.

Keywords: Indigenous peoples; human rights; priority/special populations; public policy; surveillance and monitoring; tobacco control; tobacco industry.

Figure 1.

Cohort flow diagram for vaping status in the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children.