High-intensity binge drinking is associated with cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use among US adults aged 40-64 years: Findings from the 2017 BRFSS survey

The underrepresentation of racial/ethnic minorities in research on co-use of nicotine, alcohol, and/or cannabis via ecological momentary assessment methods: A narrative review

BACKGROUND

Co-use of nicotine, alcohol and/or cannabis is common among adults in the United States. Co-use may represent greater addiction severity than single substance use. Recent studies have examined the extent to which the frequency, order, simultaneity, motivations, and contextual factors associated with co-use differ from that of single use. Co-use has become prevalent among racial/ethnic minority individuals who exhibit distinct co-use patterns and related outcomes; however, most of these studies rely on cross-sectional or sparse longitudinal observations. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) can illuminate such patterns and associations with time-varying contexts. This review summarizes EMA studies on co-use published from 2008 to 2023 involving racial/ethnic minority individuals and point to gaps. Our review addresses: 1) whether use of one substance leads to substitution or complementary use of another, 2) whether antecedents/contexts differ by co-use patterns and minority status, and 3) what consequences of co-use have been documented across co-use patterns or minority status.

METHODS

Search results yielded 465 articles, with 33 meeting inclusion criteria. We extracted study-level characteristics and synthesized the findings.

RESULTS

The findings largely focused on co-use patterns, categories of co-use, proximal antecedents and contexts, and consequences. Variations by minority status were rarely examined; few examined acute effects of unique experiences that may contribute to co-use among racial/ethnic minority adults.

CONCLUSIONS

The EMA literature on co-use is burgeoning in recent years and supports complementary hypothesis. More research to capture time-intensive data on experiences to contextualize the co-use among racial/ethnic minority groups with greater diversity in race/ethnicity is warranted.

Relationship Between Chronic Lung Disease Diagnosis and Susceptibility to E-Cigarette Use in Adults

BACKGROUND

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are known to cause adverse pulmonary effects, yet paradoxically, the prevalence of e-cigarette use has increased among individuals with chronic lung disease. We assessed the relationship between chronic lung disease and the susceptibility to e-cigarette use in adults and determined if specific behavioral, social, and environmental factors influence this relationship.

METHODS

We enrolled adults age ≥ 18 y in Alabama with chronic lung disease from university medical clinics (n = 140) and individuals without chronic lung disease (n = 123, reference group) from January 2020-March 2021. A cross-sectional design was used where we administered questionnaires to collect sociodemographic information and assessed susceptibility to e-cigarette use, exposure to social and environmental factors (ie, advertisements, warning labels, special prices, others' e-cigarette vapors, use of an e-cigarette by others in the home, and visiting a web site or online discussion), and behavioral factors (ie, alcohol and cannabis use). Moderation analyses were conducted to determine if any of these factors would modify the association between chronic lung disease and susceptibility to e-cigarette use.

RESULTS

Susceptibility to e-cigarette use was higher among adults without chronic lung disease than among those with chronic lung disease. Noticing e-cigarette warning labels and visiting a web site or online discussion about e-cigarettes were significantly associated with an increased likelihood of susceptibility to using e-cigarettes in both groups. Exposure to e-cigarette vapor from close contacts, special pricing, living with someone who uses e-cigarettes, and cannabis use were significantly associated with an increased likelihood of susceptibility to e-cigarette use in individuals without chronic lung disease. However, our analyses did not indicate a statistically significant interaction between chronic lung disease and any social, environmental, or behavioral factors on susceptibility to e-cigarette use.

CONCLUSIONS

Individuals without chronic lung disease were more susceptible to e-cigarette use than those with chronic lung disease. Although the prevalence of some behavioral and environmental factors differed among individuals with and without chronic lung disease, these factors did not moderate the association between chronic lung disease and susceptibility to e-cigarette use. Longitudinal investigations are warranted to better test the temporal relationships between chronic lung disease, substance use, social and environmental factors, and the susceptibility to e-cigarette use among individuals with chronic lung disease to identify prevention strategies for this population.

Patterns and predictors of high-intensity drinking and implications for intervention

Efforts to intervene with subgroups at particularly high risk for alcohol use require information on factors that differentiate drinking intensity levels. This article summarizes existing research and provides new findings on sociodemographics and risk factors that differentiate high-intensity drinking (HID) to provide context for developing and delivering interventions for the highest-risk drinkers. Cross-sectional data were obtained in 2019 from participants who reported past 30-day alcohol use in 2018 as part of the nationally representative 12th grade Monitoring the Future study. Among past 2-week drinkers in 2019 (N = 601; modal age 19; 57.0% male; 67.4% non-Hispanic White), bivariate associations between drinking intensity (moderate drinking [1-4 drinks for women/1-5 drinks for men], binge-only drinking [4-7/5-9 drinks], and HID [8+/10+ drinks]) and a range of sociodemographic characteristics, risk factors, and alcohol-related consequences were examined. Results showed binge-drinking norms, social and enhancement drinking motives, nicotine vaping, and use of limiting/stopping drinking and manner of drinking protective behavioral strategies differentiated all drinking intensity levels, lending support to HID and binge-only drinking having an overlapping risk profile. However, there were also risk factors uniquely associated with HID, including sex, college attendance, employment, HID norms, use of serious harm reduction protective behavioral strategies, family history of drinking problems, any cigarette or drug use other than marijuana, and depression symptoms. Therefore, risk factors differentiate young adult drinking intensity. These results can inform efforts to adapt interventions for young adults who report HID. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Factors associated with binge drinking-Findings from 2019 Kansas behavioral risk factor surveillance system

Background: In the U.S., excessive drinking accounts for one in 10 deaths among adults aged 20-64 years old. Binge drinking is a common form of excessive alcohol consumption that contributes to this chilling statistic. Binge drinking is defined as women consuming four or more drinks or men consuming five or more drinks within a 2-h time span. Examining existing data on risk factors for binge drinking can inform strategies to prevent this deadly practice. Methods: The 2019 Kansas Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) dataset consists of data collected from 11,368 non-institutionalized adults aged 18 years and older with landline or cell phones. The dependent variable in this study was binge drinking status. The independent variables included several sociodemographic variables and risk factors. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis, single logistic regression, and multivariable logistic regression. Results: In the population, 1,447 (17.4%) were reported to be binge drinkers. Significant factors associated with binge drinking in the final model included sex (aOR = 0.53 (0.45-0.63)), age (18-24 years old aOR = 8.77 (6.02-12.79); 25-34 years old aOR = 7.10 (5.35-9.42); 35-44 years old aOR = 6.23 (4.73-8.19); 45-54 years old aOR = 3.87 (2.92-5.14); and 55-64 years old aOR = 2.58 (1.96-3.38)), income ($15,000-$24,999 aOR = 1.00 (0.63-1.58); $25,000-$34,999 aOR = 1.61 (1.04-2.50); $35,000-$49,999 aOR = 1.69 (1.13-2.55); ≥$50,000 aOR = 1.97 (1.34-2.89)), smokeless tobacco use (aOR = 2.09 (1.55-2.82)), and smoking/e-cigarette use (Cigarette user only aOR = 2.11 (1.69-2.65); E-cigarette user only aOR = 2.67 (1.62-3.17); dual cigarette and e-cigarette user = 3.43 (2.21-5.33)). Conclusion: Developing interventions that take into account elevated risk for binge drinking amongst demographic characteristics (i.e., age, sex, income) and lifestyle factors (i.e., smokeless tobacco use, and smoking/e-cigarette use) is crucial to lowering morbidity and mortality related to this form of excessive alcohol consumption.

Is E-cigarette Use Associated With Persistence or Discontinuation of Combustible Cigarettes? A 24-Month Longitudinal Investigation in Young Adult Binge Drinkers

INTRODUCTION

It remains unclear whether electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use promotes persistent combustible tobacco use or smoking discontinuation over time. Alcohol use is associated with a greater risk of adverse health effects of tobacco, and higher likelihood of e-cigarette use, making drinkers a high-priority subpopulation.

AIMS AND METHODS

This study examined longitudinal patterns of combustible tobacco and e-cigarette use over 24 months in young adult binge drinkers. A pooled dataset of 1002 (58.5% female; M age = 22.14) binge drinkers from the United States (60%) and Canada (40%) was used. The primary outcomes were past month combustible tobacco and e-cigarette use. Nicotine dependence was measured using the Fagerström Test of Cigarette Dependence. Alcohol severity was measured using the Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire. Latent transition analysis (LTA) was used to identify patterns of cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use over 24 months.

RESULTS

The LTA yielded a four-class solution: (1) e-cigarettes-only users (prevalence over time: 7.75%-10.10%), (2) dual-product users (2.61%-9.89%), (3) combustible-only smokers (8.12%-20.70%), and (4) nonusers (61.66%-80.06%). Dual-product users predominantly transitioned to complete abstinence or exclusively e-cigarette use. In combustible-only smokers, the most common transition was to abstinence, followed by persistence of combustible-only status. At 24 months, 63% of e-cigarettes-only users transitioned to abstinence, with 37% continuing e-cigarettes-only use and 0% transitioning to dual or combustible cigarette use.

CONCLUSIONS

Dual-product use in young adult binge drinkers was associated with discontinuation of combustible tobacco over time, and e-cigarette-only use was not associated with subsequent combustible tobacco use.

IMPLICATIONS

These findings suggest that concurrent or exclusive e-cigarette use is not a risk factor for the persistence or development of combustible tobacco use in this subpopulation, with dual-product use reflecting a transitional pattern away from combustible use, toward discontinuation.

E-cigarette Use Among Young Adult Patients: The Opportunity to Intervene on Risky Lifestyle Behaviors to Reduce Cancer Risk

Use of e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) is on the rise. We administered a health needs survey via email to 804 adult primary care and oncology patients at a large urban academic medical center in 2019. We examined differences in e-cigarette use by smoking status, personal history of cancer, alcohol use, and second-hand tobacco smoke exposure. Of the 804 participants, 90 (11.2%) reported ever using e-cigarettes. E-cigarette use was more prevalent in young adults (risk ratio [RR] for 18-24 years: 4.58, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 2.05, 10.26), current smoking (RR 4.64, 95% CI 1.94, 11.07), very often/often binge drinking (RR 3.04, 96% CI 1.38, 6.73), and ≥ 1 smokers in the home (RR 3.90, 95% CI 2.10, 7.23). Binge alcohol consumption and tobacco smoking are associated with increased risk cancer. Inquiries about e-cigarette use among adults 25-40 years present providers the opportunity to also counsel young adult about reducing cancer risk.