Electronic Cigarette and Traditional Cigarette Use among Middle and High School Students in Florida, 2011-2014

PLoS One. 2015 May 13;10(5):e0124385. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0124385. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Recent youth trends in the prevalence of e-cigarette and traditional cigarette use in Florida were examined in a cross-sectional, representative state sample from 2011 to 2014. Traditional cigarette use among youth declined during the study period. Experimentation with and past 30-day use of e-cigarettes among Florida youth tripled over 4 years. Past 30-day e-cigarette use exceeded traditional cigarette use in 2014; 10.8% of high school and 4.0% of middle school students reported recent e-cigarette use, compared with 8.7% of high school and 2.9% of middle school students for traditional cigarettes (P<0.001). By 2014, 20.5% of high school and 8.5% of middle school students reported ever use of e-cigarettes. Among ever e-cigarette users in 2014, 30.3% of high school and 42.2% of middle school students had never smoked traditional cigarettes. Given the concern that significant rates of e-cigarette use by U.S. adolescents may have a negative effect on public health, further review of e-cigarette advertising, marketing, sales, and use among U.S. youth is warranted.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems / statistics & numerical data*
  • Female
  • Florida / epidemiology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Marketing / ethics*
  • Prevalence
  • Public Health
  • Schools
  • Smoking / epidemiology*
  • Smoking / physiopathology
  • Smoking / psychology
  • Students / psychology
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Tobacco Products / statistics & numerical data*

Grants and funding

This work was funded under an RTI International contract with the Florida Department of Health’s Bureau of Tobacco Free Florida.