Have teens finally been convinced that smoking isn’t cool?
According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Friday, the number of high schoolers and middle schoolers who use e-cigarette products is dropping.
Since 2014, e-cigarettes and vaping devices have been the most popularly used tobacco products by teens.
Back then, 13.1 percent middle and high school students reported using e-cigarettes. By 2019 and 2020, the most commonly used device was a vape with a pre-filled pod or cartridge.
This year, 11.3 percent of high school students and 2.8 percent of middle school students reported current e-cigarette use, said the CDC. Most users used disposable e-cigarettes, followed by pre-filled pods. Puff Bar was the most commonly smoked brand, although 15.6 percent of high school users and 19.3 percent of middle school users reported not knowing the e-cigarette brand they usually used.
Numbers were found through a survey that many students completed online if they were participating in online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the current high and middle school smokers, around 85 percent preferred flavored options such as fruit, candy, desert or sweets, said the survey.
Overall, the CDC estimates that there are just over 2 million youth smokers in the U.S. this year, compared to 3.6 million who used product in the 30 days before they were surveyed in 2014.
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What is behind the decrease?
Anti-tobacco advocates have pointed out that students who completed the survey in school reported higher rates of vaping, around 16 percent, compared to students learning at home at around 8 percent, said the Associated Press.
Tobacco experts have speculated about the potential effect of school closures on vaping, since teens often vape with their friends and get e-cigarettes from their peers, said the outlet. However, Dr. Nancy Rigotti of Harvard University – who was not involved in the research – said the decrease and its causes will have to be confirmed by further studies.
Previous research showed that use of tobacco products in teens had already been decreasing last year. In 2020, the number of high schoolers who reported using e-cigarettes dropped from around 28 percent to just 20 percent.
Following a 78 percent spike in use during 2018 and another spike in 2019, the Food and Drug Administration took action to curb youth e-cigarette use by cracking down on flavored products.
A 2020 study also confirmed lung injuries could be associated with vaping. Teen use of a drug usually declines when that substance starts to seem riskier, Richard Miech, co-investigator of the Monitoring the Future study and professor at the University of Michigan, told The Verge.
As use of the products appears to decrease, the FDA is also poised to put more restrictions on e-tobacco products, said the Associated Press. Even though the numbers are trending lower than previous years, the numbers are still too high, said the CDC.
“E-cigarette use among youth remains a serious public health concern,” said CDC specialist Dr. Karen Hacker, in a statement.
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