Use of social networking sites, electronic cigarettes, and waterpipes among adolescents

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and waterpipes are gaining in popularity among adolescents in tandem with the increasing popularity of social networking sites (SNSs). The objective of this study was to examine the associations between the use of SNSs and e-cigarette and waterpipe use among adolescents, and to test whether these associations are independent of tobacco cigarette smoking.

A province-wide school-based cross-sectional study.

Data were derived from the 2013 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey. Our analyses included representative data from 2841 high school students across Ontario, Canada, who completed the questionnaire that included measures of lifetime use of e-cigarette and past-year use of waterpipe.

Nearly 14.6% of students reported having smoked an e-cigarette in their lifetime and 12.2% reported having smoked a waterpipe in the past year. After adjusting for various covariates, daily use of SNSs of at least 1 h/day was associated with greater odds of e-cigarette use (odds ratios ranged from 3.31 for SNS use of 1 h/day to 3.43 for ≥3 h/day), while daily use of SNSs of at least 2 h was associated with waterpipe use (odds ratios of 3.28 for SNS use of 2 h/day and 2.83 for use of ≥3 h/day). The observed associations remained significant after further adjusting for tobacco cigarette smoking.

The use of SNSs was positively associated with e-cigarette and waterpipe use, independent of tobacco cigarette smoking. These findings highlight the need for including SNSs in ongoing prevention and intervention efforts.