Harm and Addiction Perceptions of the JUUL E-Cigarette Among Adolescents

Abstract

Abstract Introduction This study assessed adolescents’ harm and addiction perceptions of the highest-selling brand—JUUL—of the most commonly used tobacco product—electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes)—among adolescents in the United States. Methods A cross-sectional online survey assessed use and perceptions of the harmfulness and addictiveness of the JUUL e-cigarette and conventional tobacco cigarettes in a nationally representative sample of 9865 adolescents aged 13–17 years in the United States. Associations between adolescents’ harm and addiction perceptions and their use of a JUUL e-cigarette were examined through multinomial logistic regression models. Results Overall, 6.1% and 9.3% of adolescents believed daily use and occasional use of a JUUL e-cigarette, respectively, would cause them no harm. Around 11.3% believed they would either never experience harm from using a JUUL e-cigarette or they could use a JUUL e-cigarette for at least 20 years before experiencing any harm, and 7.3% believed they would be “very unlikely” to become addicted to using a JUUL e-cigarette. Overall, 39.3% and 29.3% of adolescents perceived the JUUL e-cigarette as “less harmful” and “less addictive” than conventional cigarettes, respectively. Compared to never users of the JUUL e-cigarette, current and former users held significantly lower harm and addiction perceptions of the JUUL e-cigarette on all measures. Conclusions The majority of adolescents believed using a JUUL e-cigarette would put them at, at least, some risk for experiencing health problems and addiction. A smaller but significant proportion believed they could use a JUUL e-cigarette without ever being harmed by or becoming addicted to the JUUL e-cigarette. Implications The study reports adolescents’ perceptions of the harmfulness and addictiveness of the highest-selling brand of the most commonly used tobacco product among youth in the United States. Though the majority of adolescents correctly believed that using a JUUL e-cigarette would put them at, at least, some risk for experiencing health problems and addiction, a small proportion believed that using a JUUL e-cigarette would be risk free. Correcting such risk-free perceptions may reduce adolescents’ interest in trying and continuing to use JUUL e-cigarettes.