UPDATE AUGUST 16, 2023: New research has found that teenagers often develop wheezing, bronchitis, and shortness of breath only 30 days after they start using e-cigarettes.
According to the study from the Ohio State University, teens who vaped within the past 30 days were 81% more likely to develop wheezing and 78% more likely to experience shortness of breath than those who never smoked. The study participants who used e-cigarettes were also twice as likely to develop symptoms of bronchitis.
Another health risk associated with e-cigarette use is the increased likelihood of developing asthma.
Campus Safety previously reported that 11% of Americans, ages 18-24, vape. The July 26, 2023 article covering these statistics is below.
More than one in 10 Americans ages 18 to 24 use e-cigarettes regularly, according to a report released Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The research estimates 4.5% of all adults over 18 use vapes. However, the rate more than doubles to 11% for young adults.
The report also found more young people are smoking cigarettes and e-cigarettes interchangeably. E-cigarettes are more common with people under 25 while cigarettes are more common with older Americans.
“Dual use of tobacco products is a health concern because it may result in greater exposure to toxins and worse respiratory outcomes than using either product alone,” the study reads. “In 2021, most e-cigarette users aged 18–24 had never smoked cigarettes. Despite this, the percentage of adults aged 18–24 who were dual users of e-cigarettes and cigarettes was similar to the percentage among adults aged 25–44 (1.8% compared with 2.0%).”
Additional key findings from the report include:
- Among all adults aged 18 and over, the percentage of White non-Hispanic adults (5.2%) was higher than Asian non-Hispanic (2.9%), Black or African American non-Hispanic
(2.4%), and Hispanic or Latino (3.3%) adults - Among adults aged 18 and over, e-cigarette use was higher among men (5.1%) compared with women (4.0%)
- Among adults aged 25-44, current e-cigarette use was higher among men (7.9%) compared with women (5.1%)
- E-cigarette use among adults aged 18 and over generally declined with increasing family income
- E-cigarette use decreased with increasing age for both men and women
- Among all adults aged 18 and over, 1.3% smoked both cigarettes and e-cigarettes, 10.2% smoked cigarettes only, and 3.2% used e-cigarettes only
The findings are based on 2021 data from a National Health Interview Survey that defined current e-cigarette use as respondents who said they vape “every day” or “some days.” The numbers are likely higher now as another CDC report released in June announced e-cigarette sales rose 46.6% from Jan. 2020 (15.5 million) to Dec. 2022 (22.7 million). During that same timeframe, the number of e-cigarette brands rose from 184 to 269 — an increase of nearly 50%.
Researchers Discuss Health Risks Associated with E-Cigarettes
A report released last week by the American Heart Association (AHA) found long-term vaping can damage your heart and lungs, according to The Hill.
“E-cigarettes deliver numerous substances into the body that are potentially harmful, including chemicals and other compounds that are likely not known to or understood by the user,” the AHA wrote in a statement. “There is research indicating that nicotine-containing e-cigarettes are associated with acute changes in several hemodynamic measures, including increases in blood pressure and heart rate.”
An earlier CDC survey found 14% of high schoolers vape, which the agency says is concerning as brains don’t finish developing until a person is around 25 years old.
“The effects of vaping on kids and adolescents is an addiction that can come about from the chronic exposure to nicotine,” Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos, director of the Tobacco Treatment Clinic at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, told CBS News.
As of Dec. 31, 2022, California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Utah, as well as 378 jurisdictions, have some type of restriction on flavored e-cigarette sales to decrease the appeal to young adults and children.
Data published last year in the National Youth Tobacco Survey found more than 2.5 million people under the age of 18 vape, and 85% of middle and high school students who reported using e-cigarettes were buying flavored e-cigarettes.
