Associations between e-cigarette access and smoking and drinking behaviours in teenagers

BMC Public Health

Kate Pike¹  Robin Ireland⁴  Andrew Bennett³  Philip McHale³  Katherine A Hardcastle³  Mark A Bellis²  Karen Hughes³ 

[1] Trading Standards North West, New Town House, Buttermarket Street, Warrington, WA1 2NH, UK;Public Health Wales, Hadyn Ellis Building, Maindy Road, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK;Centre for Public Health, Liverpool John Moores University, 15-21 Webster Street, Liverpool, L3 2ET, UK;Health Equalities Group, 2nd floor, 151 Dale Street, Liverpool, L2 2JH, UK

关键词: Alcohol use;    Smoking;    Adolescents;    Electronic cigarettes;   

Others  :  1170963
DOI  :  10.1186/s12889-015-1618-4

 received in 2014-05-01, accepted in 2015-03-05,  发布年份 2015

【 摘 要 】

Background

Public health concerns regarding e-cigarettes and debate on appropriate regulatory responses are focusing on the need to prevent child access to these devices. However, little is currently known about the characteristics of those young people that are accessing e-cigarettes.

Methods

Using a cross-sectional survey of 14-17 year old school students in North West England (n = 16,193) we examined associations between e-cigarette access and demographics, conventional smoking behaviours, alcohol consumption, and methods of accessing cigarettes and alcohol. Access to e-cigarettes was identified through a question asking students if they had ever tried or purchased e-cigarettes.

Results

One in five participants reported having accessed e-cigarettes (19.2%). Prevalence was highest among smokers (rising to 75.8% in those smoking >5 per day), although 15.8% of teenagers that had accessed e-cigarettes had never smoked conventional cigarettes (v.13.6% being ex-smokers). E-cigarette access was independently associated with male gender, having parents/guardians that smoke and students’ alcohol use. Compared with non-drinkers, teenagers that drank alcohol at least weekly and binge drank were more likely to have accessed e-cigarettes (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.89, P < 0.001), with this association particularly strong among never-smokers (AOR 4.59, P < 0.001). Among drinkers, e-cigarette access was related to: drinking to get drunk, alcohol-related violence, consumption of spirits; self-purchase of alcohol from shops or supermarkets; and accessing alcohol by recruiting adult proxy purchasers outside shops.

Conclusions

There is an urgent need for controls on the promotion and sale of e-cigarettes to children. Findings suggest that e-cigarettes are being accessed by teenagers more for experimentation than smoking cessation. Those most likely to access e-cigarettes may already be familiar with illicit methods of accessing age-restricted substances.

【 授权许可】

   
2015 Hughes et al.; licensee BioMed Central.

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