Adolescent boys who use e-cigarettes twice as likely to initiate cigarettes, smokeless tobacco products<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/b><\/p>\n
THURSDAY, Jan. 7, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Adolescent boys who use electronic cigarettes have an increased risk for subsequently initiating traditional tobacco products, according to a study published online Dec. 8 in Addictive Behaviors<\/em>.<\/p>\n Brittney Keller-Hamilton, M.P.H., from the Comprehensive Cancer Center at The Ohio State University in Columbus, and colleagues used a causal inference framework to identify whether male adolescent e-cigarette users were at increased risk for initiating cigarette smoking and smokeless tobacco (SLT) use compared with similar boys who had never used e-cigarettes. The analysis included 1,220 boys (aged 11 to 16 years at enrollment) followed every six months for two years.<\/p>\n The researchers found that compared with nonusers, e-cigarette users were more than twice as likely to later initiate both cigarette smoking (relative risk [RR], 2.71) and SLT (RR, 2.42). E-cigarette users were also more likely to become current (past 30 days) cigarette smokers (RR, 2.20) and SLT users (RR, 1.64).<\/p>\n “It is important to remain vigilant in seeking strategies and policies to prevent teens from starting habits that pose a threat to their health, particularly when they serve as a stepping stone to more harmful tobacco products,” Keller-Hamilton said in a statement.<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/i><\/p>\n