Adolescents and Young Adults Have Difficulty Understanding Nicotine Concentration Labels on Vaping Products Presented as mg/mL and Percent Nicotine

Abstract

Abstract Introduction E-cigarette e-liquid nicotine concentrations typically are labeled as mg/mL or percent nicotine. We examined whether these metrics accurately convey nicotine strength to young e-cigarette users and if youth can compare concentrations presented in mg/mL and percent nicotine. Aims and Methods Eight hundred and twenty-one adolescent and young adult e-cigarette users participated in the survey. Participants rated nicotine concentration strengths presented as mg/mL (0–60 mg/mL) and percent nicotine (0%–6%) from “no nicotine” to “very high nicotine.” Participants also viewed pairs of nicotine concentrations (eg, 18 mg/mL vs. 5%) and indicated which concentration was stronger or if the concentrations were equivalent. Results On average, participants correctly identified 5.92 (2.68) of 18 nicotine strengths, correctly identifying strengths labeled as mg/mL (3.47 [2.03]) more often than percent nicotine (2.45 [1.38], p < .001). Excluding nicotine-free, participants rated concentrations presented as mg/mL as stronger, more addictive, and more harmful than equivalent concentrations presented as percent nicotine. Participants seldom correctly identified that one concentration was stronger or that both were equivalent (7.58 [5.88] of 19 pairings), although they more often correctly identified the stronger concentration when it was presented in mg/mL (4.02 [SD = 3.01]) than in percent nicotine (2.53 [2.73], p < .001). The most consistent predictor of correct answers on these tasks was familiarity with using both products labeled as mg/mL and labeled as percent nicotine. Conclusions Young e-cigarette users had difficulty understanding nicotine concentrations labeled using the most common metrics, raising concerns about inadvertent exposure to high nicotine levels and suggesting that a more intuitive labeling approach is needed. Implications This study extends prior work showing that young e-cigarette users often are uncertain whether the e-liquids they use contain nicotine by demonstrating that adolescents and young adults have difficulty understanding nicotine concentrations labeled using the two most common metrics (mg/mL and percent nicotine). Errors generally underestimated nicotine strength, and users were not able to accurately compare nicotine concentrations presented as mg/mL and percent nicotine. Difficulty understanding labeling metrics persisted even after accounting for user characteristics like age and vaping experience, suggesting that a novel, easy to understand labeling system is needed to convey information about nicotine strength accurately.