Youth Who Vape: Fact or Fiction?

Question 1. Fact or fiction? E-cigarettes contain harmless water vapor that is safe for adolescent users to inhale.

Answer: Fiction. E-cigarettes create an aerosol that users inhale after the battery heats up a liquid that contains nicotine, flavorings, and other additives that are not deemed safe for adolescent users. Nicotine exposure in particular can cause addiction and have developmental effects on the adolescent brain.¹

Question 2. Fact or fiction? One of the most common reasons that youth and young adults report for using e-cigarettes is as an aid to quit smoking cigarettes.

Answer: Fiction. Youth and young adults most commonly cited curiosity, flavoring/taste, and low perceived harm as reasons for using e-cigarettes. The use of e-cigarettes as an aid to quit smoking cigarettes was not reported as a primary reason.¹

Question 3. Fact or fiction? In 2018, e-cigarettes were the most commonly used tobacco product among high school and middle school students in the US.

Answer: Fact. In 2018, e-cigarettes were the most commonly used tobacco product among high school students (20.8%) and middle school students (4.9%) in the US, followed by cigarettes and then cigars.²

Question 4. Fact or fiction? Between 2017 and 2018, use of e-cigarettes increased approximately 70% among high school students in the US.

Answer: Fact. E-cigarette use increased 77.8% among high school students between 2017 and 2018.²

Question 5. Fact or fiction? In the US, the percentage of young adults aged 18-24 years who smoke e-cigarettes is lower vs the percentage of adult e-cigarette users aged ≥25 years.

Answer: Fiction. According to the National Adult Tobacco Survey, between 2013 and 2014 the percentage of young adults aged 18-24 years who smoked e-cigarettes (6.10%) was approximately 283% higher vs adults aged ≥25 years who smoked e-cigarettes (1.59%).¹

Question 6. Fact or fiction? In 2018, e-cigarette use was most common among Hispanic middle school students followed by white and then black middle school students.

Answer: Fact. In 2018, 6.6% of Hispanic middle school students used e-cigarettes followed by 4.9% of white middle school students and 3% of black middle school students.²

Question 7. Fact or fiction? In 2018, e-cigarette use was more common among Hispanic high school students vs white high school students in the US.

Answer: Fiction. E-cigarette use in the US was more common among white high school students (26.8%) vs Hispanic high school students (14.8%) in 2018.²

Question 8. Fact or fiction? Teenagers who try e-cigarettes first are about twice as likely to start smoking cigarettes vs teenagers who have never tried e-cigarettes.

Answer: Fiction. In a recent study of 6123 youths aged 12 to 15 years, teenagers who tried e-cigarettes first were 4 times more likely to go on to at least try cigarettes vs teenagers who never tried e-cigarettes.³

Question 9. Fact or fiction? Low-risk teenagers who would otherwise never engage in risky behaviors are >5 times more likely to start smoking cigarettes as a result of e-cigarette use vs teenagers who never tried e-cigarettes.

Answer: Fact. In the same study of 12-to-15-year-olds, low-risk teenagers who smoked e-cigarettes were 8.5 times more likely to go on to smoke cigarettes vs teenagers who never smoked e-cigarettes.³

Question 10. Fact or fiction? A recent national online survey among young adults found that nearly 50% of past 30-days users of the popular JUUL e-cigarette knew that it always contains nicotine.