Harm Perceptions of Tobacco/Nicotine Products and Child Exposure: Differences between Non-Users, Cigarette-Exclusive, and Electronic Cigarette-Exclusive Users

Risk Factors for E-Cigarette Ban Relaxation in Homes With Adolescents

PURPOSE

To identify risk factors for relaxing a strict e-cigarette ban in households with adolescents.

METHODS

Youth (ages 12-17) in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study whose parents held a strict vaping ban in 2016 (n = 6,514; 51.5% male) and their parents provided follow-up data on up to four occasions through 2020 on whether the ban was relaxed.

RESULTS

13.5% of households with strict vaping bans relaxed them in a subsequent wave. Results from a logistic regression model showed that the odds of relaxing strict bans were higher if, at baseline, parents vaped (OR = 2.20; 95% CI: 1.22-3.97; p < .01), parents smoked tobacco (OR = 2.55; CI: 2.00-3.26; p < .001), youth smoked tobacco (OR = 2.27; CI: 1.29-4.00; p < .01), parents reported no smoking ban (OR = 2.68; CI: 1.88-3.81; p < .001), youth did not know that their household had a vaping ban (OR = 1.95; CI: 1.50-2.54; p < .001), and parents perceived low harm from vaping (OR = 1.60; CI: 1.16-2.19; p < .01). Although most sociodemographic controls were not independently associated, parents were less likely to relax bans if they had a college degree (OR = 0.71; CI: 0.51-0.998; p < .05), graduate degree (OR = 0.50; CI: 0.43-0.72; p < .001), or children who were non-Hispanic Black (OR = 0.69; CI: 0.49-0.96; p < .05) or Hispanic (OR = 0.62; CI: 0.47-0.81; p < .001).

DISCUSSION

While most households with adolescents prohibited e-cigarette use indoors, nearly one in seven relaxed prior strict vaping bans. Parents need support to maintain clear, consistent, and continuous restrictions that communicate that vaping is not safe or permissible for youth.

An Exploratory Study on Strategies Adopted by Parents Who Use E-Cigarettes to Negotiate Risk Perceptions of Their Children's Secondhand Exposure and Parental Role Modeling

Existing health messages mainly targeted youth susceptible to vaping or parents who do not have much knowledge about e-cigarettes. This study makes a unique contribution by conducting the first in-depth investigation of e-cigarette-using parents' risk perceptions and parental role modeling and how these two factors affect their vaping behaviors at home or implementation of any strategies to reduce their children's risk. Fifteen parents who used e-cigarettes participated in a semi-structured interview. Interview transcripts were coded and analyzed through a deductive approach of thematic analysis. This study demonstrates the need to develop and disseminate future health messages for e-cigarette-using parents who may have low-risk perceptions of secondhand exposure or who have adopted ineffective strategies to reduce their children's exposure. This study also identifies some possible targets for future intervention efforts through these parents including increasing their knowledge about the health risk of secondhand exposure to e-cigarettes, emphasizing the caregiver role, and effective communications with children about the consequences of vaping.

Home e-cigarette rules and youth's vulnerability to initiate and sustain e-cigarette use

Existing studies of the impact of home rules on youth's vulnerability to e-cigarette use were based on cross-sectional data, youth or parent reports alone, as well as youth's perceptions and susceptibility. This study capitalizes on the restricted-use data of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study to examine the longitudinal association between home rules for e-cigarette use and youth's vulnerability including initiation of use and regular use two years later. Secondary analysis was conducted on 1203 parent-youth pairs who participated in both Wave 4 (2016-2018) and Wave 5 (2018-2019) assessment of the PATH Study and while the youth were age 12-16 at Wave 4. Linear and logistic regressions were performed to examine the associations between having a strict home rule for e-cigarette use at Wave 4 and the youth's outcomes including perceived social norms, expectancies, susceptibility, initiation of use, and regular use of e-cigarettes at Wave 5, controlling for parent and youth factors. The results show that having a strict home rule for e-cigarette use was associated with youth's heightened level of perceived injunctive norms (β = 0.22, p < 0.01), higher expectancy of harmfulness (β = 0.28, p < 0.01) and lower odds for regular e-cigarette use (OR = 0.36, p < 0.05). In conclusion, the findings of this study support the potential protective effects of implementing a strict home rule for e-cigarette use. Future intervention efforts may promote parents' awareness of the potential protective effects of a strict home e-cigarette rule on youth's normative belief, harm expectancy, and behavior of e-cigarette use.

An analysis of e-cigarette and polysubstance use patterns of adolescents in Bangkok, Thailand

INTRODUCTION

The prevalence of adolescent e-cigarette use has increased markedly in recent years. Specifically, the prevalence of e-cigarette use over the past 30 days was higher than the prevalence of use of other tobacco products. However, there is no definitive data on e-cigarette use among adolescents, including a description of how e-cigarette use is part of a more widespread pattern of substance abuse. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of e-cigarette use in combination with tobacco, alcohol, or marijuana, and the risk of polysubstance use among a sample of Thai adolescents, analyzed by sociodemographic characteristics.

METHODS

Data were extracted from the Bangkok Behavioral Surveillance Survey (BBSS) cross-sectional survey conducted in 2019. The survey used self-reports from a sample of adolescents aged 14–17 years in Bangkok (n=6167). Multinomial logistic regression was used to determine the status of poly drug use in combination with e-cigarettes.

RESULTS

In all, 6.8% of adolescents in this sample reported having used e-cigarettes in the last 30 days. Among the students who used e-cigarettes, the majority (72.0%) reported using other substances along with e-cigarettes, and alcohol was the most common addictive substance used in combination with e-cigarette use. The use of e-cigarettes only and e-cigarettes in combination with other addictive substances (compared to the non-e-cigarette group) tended to be higher among male students, having low academic achievement, having a friend who smokes, being persuaded by a close friend, having ever had sex (OR: 1.48–3.70), and having close friends who drink alcohol (vs none) (OR=3.26).

CONCLUSIONS

Polysubstance use is highly prevalent among adolescents who use e-cigarettes. There should be extensive screening for e-cigarette consumption, including use of other addictive substances, especially alcohol. Early and comprehensive prevention efforts to reduce the use of e-cigarettes and other addictive substances can have a huge impact on the health of the adolescent population.

Home Tobacco Use Policies and Exposure to Secondhand Tobacco Smoke: Findings from Waves 1 through 4 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study

BACKGROUND

The 2006 Surgeon General's Report recommended the elimination of smoking in homes as an effective protective measure against the harmful effects of secondhand tobacco smoke exposure. This study aims to examine trends in the prevalence and levels of the adoption of home tobacco use policies specifically for cigarettes, e-cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and the relationships between home tobacco use policies and self-reported exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke.

METHODS

This study utilizes data from Wave 1 (2013-2014) through Wave 4 (2016-2018) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study, a large prospective cohort study of youths and adults in the United States which collected information about both smoke-free and tobacco-free home policies. We present the weighted, population-based, self-reported prevalence of home tobacco use policies overall and by product, and the average number of self-reported hours of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure by levels of home tobacco policy and by survey wave. In addition, we examine the characteristics of those who adopted (by yes or no) a home tobacco use ban between survey waves.

RESULTS

We found a high prevalence of completely tobacco-free home policies (69.5%). However, 10.6% of adults allow the use of any type of tobacco product inside their homes, and 19.8% have a policy allowing the use of some types of tobacco products and banning the use of others. Adults with a complete tobacco use ban inside their homes were more likely to be nonusers of tobacco (79.9%); living with children in the home (71.8%); at or above the poverty level (70.8%); non-white (76.0%); Hispanic (82.7%); and aged 45 or older (71.9%). The adoption of 100% tobacco-free home policies is associated with a 64% decrease in secondhand smoke exposure among youths and a 69% decrease in exposure among adults.

CONCLUSIONS

Most US adults have implemented tobacco-free home policies; however, there is still exposure to SHS in the home, for both adults and children, particularly in the homes of tobacco users. Additional research should investigate tobacco-free home policies for different types of products and what effect they have on future tobacco use behaviors.

Effects of E-Cigarette Exposure on Prenatal Life and Childhood Respiratory Health: A Review of Current Evidence

In the last decade, widespread use of E-cigarettes (EC) has occurred all over the world. Whereas, a large amount of evidence on harm to children from conventional cigarette exposure is available, data on health effects in this population throughout different vulnerability windows are still a matter of concern. Exposure to EC during pregnancy may compromise placental function, resulting in fetal structural abnormalities. Specifically, this may cause physio-pathologic changes in the developing lung, which in turn may impair respiratory health later in life. Furthermore, there is evidence that using EC can cause both short- and long-term respiratory problems in the pediatric population and there is great concern for future young people with nicotine addiction. The low parental perception of the risks connected to EC exposure for children increases their susceptibility to harmful effects from passive vaping. This minireview aims to summarize the current evidence focusing on: (i) prenatal effects of EC passive exposure; (ii) post-natal respiratory effects of EC exposure in youth; (iii) parental attitudes toward EC use and perception of children's health risks connected to EC exposure; and (iv) addressing gaps in our current evidence.