E-cigarette use and its adverse health effects

Credit: fedorovacz/stock.adobe.com

A new study from the Texas A&M University School of Public Health suggests that using e-cigarettes increases the risk of asthma in adolescents who have never smoked conventional tobacco products.

The use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) among adolescents has grown dramatically over the past several years. Although e-cigarettes have fewer toxins than regular cigarettes, they still contain a mixture of harmful chemicals and raise the risk of respiratory diseases.

In this new study, which was published in Preventive Medicine, researchers analyzed data from a national survey of youth to determine whether there is an association between e-cigarette use and asthma. The researchers also sought to identify factors that may be associated with e-cigarette use in adolescents.

The team used data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, a national health dataset set up by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to track the health behaviors and outcomes of children and youth. This study used data collected between 2015 and 2019 that included information on e-cigarette use. The analysis included data on more than 3,000 adolescents aged 13 to 17 in Texas and more than 32,000 adolescents in the United States for comparison.

The survey asked respondents whether they had ever used an e-cigarette, how many days during the previous 30-day period they had used one, and whether they had ever been told they had asthma by a health care professional. The study included information on respondent gender, age, race and ethnicity, body mass index (BMI) and presence of depression symptoms. The analysis also included data on the use of other substances, such as conventional cigarettes, alcohol and illicit drugs.