How Do Adolescents Get Their E-Cigarettes and Other Electronic Vaping Devices?

Area of Science:

• Adolescent health
• Tobacco control
• Public health

Background:

• Adolescent vaping (e-cigarette use) is more prevalent than smoking.
• Understanding how underage youth acquire vaping devices is crucial for prevention efforts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the sources and methods by which adolescents obtain vaping devices.
• To explore the prevalence and patterns of device borrowing among adolescent vapers.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional online survey with social media recruitment.
• Participants: 1729 adolescents (aged 15-17) who vaped in the past 30 days.
• Analysis included logistic regression to identify predictors of device borrowing.

Main Results:

• A high percentage of adolescents (78.2%) owned a vaping device.
• Primary acquisition methods included purchasing from stores/online (31.1%), buying from peers (16.3%), and having others purchase for them (15.0%).
• A significant majority (72.8%) borrowed vaping devices, with frequent borrowing linked to higher vaping frequency, lack of personal ownership, social vaping, and prior purchase refusal.

Conclusions:

• Device borrowing is a common social behavior among adolescent vapers, extending beyond mere acquisition.
• While stricter age-based purchasing regulations are important, further research is needed on borrowing motivations and evolving acquisition patterns.
• Findings can inform targeted anti-vaping campaigns addressing borrowing behaviors.