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Youth

Flavored E-Cigarettes Remain Popular Among U.S. Youth, FDA Reports

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

A staggering 8 in 10 U.S. middle and high school students who use e-cigarettes in 2021 relied on flavored products, according to a recent study published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The data, collected through the National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), highlight the ongoing public health concern surrounding youth e-cigarette use. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic affecting how the survey was conducted, the study provides crucial information on the trends and patterns of e-cigarette use among American youth.

Key Takeaways:

  • The 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey found that almost 85% of over 2 million U.S. middle and high school students who used e-cigarettes opted for flavored products in 2021.
  • An estimated 11.3% (1.72 million) of high school students and 2.8% (320,000) of middle school students reported current e-cigarette use, despite some potentially reduced access to tobacco products during the pandemic.
  • Mitch Zeller, J.D., director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products, stated that flavored e-cigarettes are still highly popular among kids, and the FDA is taking action against product manufacturers and retailers who target youth.
  • Other key findings include:

+ 43.6% of high school students and 17.2% of middle school students who used e-cigarettes reported using them 20 or more times in the past 30 days.

+ 27.6% of high school students and 8.3% of middle school students who used e-cigarettes reported using them daily.

+ Disposables were the most commonly used e-cigarette device type (53.7%), followed by prefilled or refillable pods or cartridges (28.7%), and tanks or mod systems (9.0%).

+ 53.7% of e-cigarette users reported flavor use, with top flavor types being fruit, candy, desserts, or other sweets, mint, and menthol.

+ Among high school students, 26.1% reported their usual brand was Puff Bar, followed by Vuse (10.8%), and among middle school students, 30.3% reported their usual brand was Puff Bar.

  • The FDA has taken significant action, including issuing marketing denial orders (MDOs) for more than one million flavored ENDS products due to insufficient evidence of their benefits to adult smokers.
  • The agency is aware of companies claiming their products contain synthetic nicotine, not sourced from tobacco, which may raise separate regulatory and legal issues that the FDA is considering.

Statistics:

  • An estimated 2.2 million U.S. middle and high school students reported current e-cigarette use in 2021.
  • 8 in 10 students who used e-cigarettes opted for flavored products.
  • 11.3% of high school students and 2.8% of middle school students reported current e-cigarette use in 2021.
  • 43.6% of high school students and 17.2% of middle school students reported using e-cigarettes 20 or more times in the past 30 days.
  • 27.6% of high school students and 8.3% of middle school students reported using e-cigarettes daily.
  • 53.7% of e-cigarette users reported flavor use, with top flavor types being fruit, candy, desserts, or other sweets, mint, and menthol.
  • 26.1% of high school students reported Puff Bar as their usual brand, 10.8% reported Vuse, and 30.3% of middle school students reported Puff Bar as their usual brand.

Sources:

  • Food and Drug Administration
  • Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
  • National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS)
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
  • NIH: teen.smokefree.gov
  • CDC National and State Tobacco Control Program

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