Teen vaping remains a persistent public health threat

Published Oct. 13, 2022

By Andrew Mundhenk, Henderson County Dept. of Public Health

Teens are back in school, but also making a return is e-cigarette use among youth.

Results from the recent annual National Youth Tobacco Survey showed that 14.1% of high school students and 3.3% of middle school students reported current e-cigarette use. That’s 2.5 million youth nationwide.

The annual report, released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, is a self-administered survey of U.S. middle (grades 6–8) and high (grades 9–12) school students. The survey, which was conducted from January through May, looked at the current usage of e-cigarettes; frequency; as well as the most popular devices, flavors and brands.

More than four in 10 students said they use e-cigarettes frequently and 1 in 4 students reported daily use. Nearly 85% of surveyed teens said they use flavored e-cigarettes, most often in the form of fruit and other sweet flavors.

“This study shows that our nation’s youth continue to be enticed and hooked by an expanding variety of e-cigarette brands delivering flavored nicotine,” said Dr. Deirdre Lawrence Kittner, director of CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health. “Our work is far from over. It’s critical that we work together to prevent youth from starting to use any tobacco product – including e-cigarettes – and help all youth who do use them, to quit.”

Experts cautioned directly comparing the 2022 data to prior years as students were surveyed in both in-school and remote settings and in 2021 students were surveyed entirely remotely. But it is clear e-cigarette use remains an issue. Since 2014, they have held their place as the most used tobacco product among middle and high school students, according to the CDC.

These high rates of frequent and daily e-cigarette use suggest students may have a strong dependence on nicotine. Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive, can harm the developing adolescent brain, and can increase the risk for future addiction to other drugs, according to the CDC. And even e-cigarettes themselves can be used to deliver other drugs, including marijuana.

E-cigarette companies are trying to stay ahead of state bans and federal regulations as lawsuits and legislation continue to shape the landscape of this relatively new industry. In one example, the FDA in 2020 told companies to cease the sale of flavored e-cigarettes that appeal to kids, including fruit and mint flavors. But the ban only applied to nondisposable flavored products. The use of disposable e-cigarette devices increased significantly among middle and high school students between 2019 and 2020, according to the CDC, and was the most used device in 2021. In the 2022 survey, 55% of students said they used disposable devices most often.

The CDC said in a recent statement that it will take a combination of tobacco prevention and control strategies at the national, state and local levels along with regulations to prevent and reduce youth access to and use of e-cigarettes. But there are actions adults can take such as setting an example by being tobacco-free, talking to your child or teen about why e-cigarettes are harmful and making sure they’re not exposed to secondhand emissions from tobacco products.

There are plenty of free resources available, including the Talk With Your Teen About E-cigarettes tip sheet at www.e-cigarettes.surgeongeneral.gov as well as www.teen.smokefree.gov. It’s never too late to quit smoking. Free help is available at www.smokefree.gov or by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW. Youth who want to quit can text “DITCHVAPE” to 88709.

Andrew Mundhenk is the Communications Manager for the Henderson County Department of Public Health.