E-Cigarette Use Among US Adults in the 2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic's impact on e-cigarette use patterns in the US remains unclear.
• Understanding current trends is crucial for public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze recent patterns of current and daily e-cigarette use among US adults in 2021.
• To identify demographic and age-related trends in e-cigarette consumption.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study utilizing the 2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) database.
• Inclusion of over 414,000 US adults aged 18 and older from 49 states and territories.
• Age-adjusted prevalence calculations for current and daily e-cigarette use, with weighted analyses for population representation.

Main Results:

• Overall current e-cigarette use was 6.9%, with daily use at 3.2%.
• Young adults (18-24 years) showed significantly higher prevalence: 18.6% current and 9.0% daily use.
• Among current e-cigarette users, 20.7% had never used combustible cigarettes, with this proportion higher in younger age groups (18-20 years: 71.5%).

Conclusions:

• E-cigarette use remained common in 2021, particularly among young adults.
• A substantial number of young e-cigarette users are initiating use without prior combustible cigarette experience.
• Findings support the development and enforcement of public health policies specifically targeting young adults and e-cigarette use.