Abstract
Background. The prevalence of e-cigarette use among youth is rising and may be associated with perceptions of health risks for these products. We examined how demographic factors and socioeconomic status (SES) are correlated with the perceived health risks of e-cigarette product contents among youth. Method. Data were from a national online survey of youth aged 13 to 18 between August and October 2017, weighted to be representative of the overall U.S. population in age, sex, race/ethnicity, and region. Survey analysis procedures were used. Results. Of 1,549 e-cigarette users and 1,451 never-e-cigarette users, 20.9% were Hispanic, 13.7% Black, 21.7% LGBTQ (lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender/queer), and 49.3% in low-income families. With adjustment for e-cigarette use status, perceived health risks of nicotine and toxins/chemicals in e-cigarettes significantly differed by gender, race, sexual orientation, and SES (ps <.05). For example, adjusted odds of perceiving harm from nicotine were 60% higher in girls versus boys, 34% lower in non-Hispanic Blacks versus non-Hispanic Whites, 33% lower in urban versus suburban residents, 40% higher in LGBTQ versus straight-identifying individuals, and 28% lower in low-income versus high-income families. Lower parental education level also was associated with children’s lower health risk perception of e-cigarette product contents. Conclusions. For youth, the perceived health risks of e-cigarette product contents were associated with demographics, sexual orientation, and SES. The findings may have relevance for developing communication and education strategies addressing specific youth audiences, especially those in vulnerable groups. These strategies could improve awareness among youth concerning the health risks of e-cigarettes, helping to prevent or reduce e-cigarette uptake and continued use.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 148S-156S |
Journal | Health Promotion Practice |
Volume | 21 |
Issue number | 1_suppl |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 2020 |
Funding
148S 156S © 2019 Society for Public Health Education 2019 Society for Public Health Education Background. The prevalence of e-cigarette use among youth is rising and may be associated with perceptions of health risks for these products. We examined how demographic factors and socioeconomic status (SES) are correlated with the perceived health risks of e-cigarette product contents among youth. Method . Data were from a national online survey of youth aged 13 to 18 between August and October 2017, weighted to be representative of the overall U.S. population in age, sex, race/ethnicity, and region. Survey analysis procedures were used. Results . Of 1,549 e-cigarette users and 1,451 never-e-cigarette users, 20.9% were Hispanic, 13.7% Black, 21.7% LGBTQ (lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender/queer), and 49.3% in low-income families. With adjustment for e-cigarette use status, perceived health risks of nicotine and toxins/chemicals in e-cigarettes significantly differed by gender, race, sexual orientation, and SES ( p s < .05). For example, adjusted odds of perceiving harm from nicotine were 60% higher in girls versus boys, 34% lower in non-Hispanic Blacks versus non-Hispanic Whites, 33% lower in urban versus suburban residents, 40% higher in LGBTQ versus straight-identifying individuals, and 28% lower in low-income versus high-income families. Lower parental education level also was associated with children’s lower health risk perception of e-cigarette product contents. Conclusions . For youth, the perceived health risks of e-cigarette product contents were associated with demographics, sexual orientation, and SES. The findings may have relevance for developing communication and education strategies addressing specific youth audiences, especially those in vulnerable groups. These strategies could improve awareness among youth concerning the health risks of e-cigarettes, helping to prevent or reduce e-cigarette uptake and continued use. E-cigarettes vaping youth tobacco use disparity perceived health risks nicotine toxins/chemicals typesetter ts1 Authors’ Note: This research was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products under Award Nos. P50HL120163 and U54HL120163. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH, the FDA, or the American Heart Association. The authors have no other disclosures. Supplement Note: This article is part of the Health Promotion Practice supplement, “Tobacco and Health Equity: Interventions, Research, and Strategies to Address Tobacco Use Among Diverse Populations,” developed under the guidance of the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE). SOPHE received funding from the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Minority Health and Health Equity (Grant number HHSF223201820377A) to support printing and open access dissemination. The views and findings expressed in these manuscripts are those of the authors and do not imply endorsement or reflect the views and policies of the U.S. Government. The entire supplement issue is available open access at https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/hppa/21/1_suppl . ORCID iDs Thanh-Huyen T. Vu https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5069-4886 Joy L. Hart https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3220-2638
Keywords
- E-cigarettes
- disparity
- nicotine
- perceived health risks
- toxins/chemicals
- vaping
- youth tobacco use
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Nursing (miscellaneous)