A resurgence of e-cigarette use among adolescents and young adults late in the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, e-cigarette use significantly declined among young people due, in part, to losing access through social sources. As the pandemic progressed, adolescents and young adults gained opportunities to resume contact with peers. This study sought to determine whether e-cigarette use has returned to pre-pandemic levels among adolescents and young adults. Methods Data were drawn from a cross-sectional weekly survey of adolescents (aged 15–17) and young adults (aged 18–24) (N = 37,331). Logistic regression analyses measured odds of past 30-day e-cigarette use among respondents surveyed (a) late in the pandemic (April 2021—April 2022) compared to early in the pandemic (March–July 2020) and (b) late in the pandemic (August–December 2021) compared to prior to the pandemic (August–December 2019). Results The odds of current e-cigarette use were significantly higher later in the COVID-19 pandemic (April 2021–April 2022), compared to its initial months (March–July 2020) (OR:1.27, 95% CI: 1.17–1.38; p = 0.001). There was no significant difference in the odds of e-cigarette use for youth and younger adults late in the pandemic (August–December 2021) compared to the same time period prior to the pandemic (August–December 2019), but odds were greater for young adults aged 21 years or older (OR:1.16; 95% CI: 1.01–1.32; p = 0.030). Conclusions E-cigarette use has returned to pre-pandemic levels among adolescents and young adults. Young adults over age 21 are more likely to use e-cigarettes than young adults of the same age surveyed prior to the pandemic. Findings have implications for targeted e-cigarette prevention and cessation efforts.