E-Cigarette Use Among US Youth Remains a Significant Public Health Concern

Strategic Insights -

E-cigarette use among US youth continues to be a pressing issue, with a recent study from the US Food and Drug Administration and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finding that 2.55 million middle and high school students reported current e-cigarette use in 2022. This represents 14.1% of high school students and 3.3% of middle school students, with nearly 85% using flavored e-cigarettes. The study, published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, used data from the 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) and assessed current use, frequency, and use by device type, flavors, and usual brand.

Key Takeaways:

  • 2.55 million US middle and high school students reported current e-cigarette use in 2022, including 14.1% of high school students and 3.3% of middle school students.
  • Nearly 85% of those youth used flavored e-cigarettes, and more than half used disposable e-cigarettes.
  • The most commonly used e-cigarette devices were disposable (55.3%), prefilled or refillable pods or cartridges (25.2%), and tanks or mod systems (6.7%).
  • Fruit was the most used flavor among e-cigarette users (69.1%), followed by candy, desserts, or other sweets (38.3%).
  • Puff Bar was the usual brand among 14.5% of e-cigarette users, followed by Vuse (12.5%), Hyde (5.5%), and SMOK (4.0%).
  • More than one fifth (21.8%) of e-cigarette users reported their usual brand was a brand other than the 13 listed in the survey.

Statistics:

  • 14.1% of high school students reported current e-cigarette use in 2022.
  • 3.3% of middle school students reported current e-cigarette use in 2022.
  • 85% of e-cigarette users reported using flavored e-cigarettes.
  • 55.3% of e-cigarette users reported using disposable e-cigarette devices.
  • 69.1% of e-cigarette users reported using fruit-flavored e-cigarettes.
  • 14.5% of e-cigarette users reported their usual brand was Puff Bar.

Sources:

  • Press release from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), citing the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), and published data from the study.
  • Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, "E-Cigarette Use Among Middle and High School Students - United States, 2022", published by the CDC.