Session 3: Youth and adult data - public health policy Seminars

3:00 pm - 3:05 pm

Welcome

3:05 pm - 3:20 pm

Adolescent e-cigarette use before and after restrictions on flavored cartridges

In early 2020 the FDA finalized its enforcement policy on unauthorized flavored cartridge-based e-cigarettes, such as fruit and mint.  Consistent with this policy, the JUUL vaping brand removed all cartridge flavors other than menthol and tobacco from the market.  In this presentation I present national, U.S. data on adolescent e-cigarette use and attitudes before and after these restrictions on flavored cartridges.  Outcomes include e-cigarette prevalence, perceived availability of flavored e-cigarettes, as well as changes in use of JUUL and other vaping brands.  The presentation concludes with an assessment of the current state of the evidence on flavors and adolescent use of e-cigarettes and avenues for future investigation.


Speaker

  • Prof Richard Miech Principal Investigator, Monitoring the Future - Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan
3:20 pm - 3:35 pm

21st Century Tobacco Control: Putting Public Health First

A myriad of studies find that tobacco control policies targeting e-cigarettes can increase combustible tobacco use, presumably by reducing incentives to choose vaping over smoking. Given evidence that vaping nicotine is likely far less harmful than smoking combustible cigarettes, these unintended consequences may translate into substantial costs for population health. This presentation will summarize published work on such policies’ intended and unintended effects, present new results estimating effects of banning flavored tobacco product sales, and discuss implications for tobacco control going forward.


3:35 pm - 3:50 pm

The Association Between E-Cigarette Use Among Adolescent Never Cigarette Smokers and Subsequent Cigarette Smoking

This study demonstrates that when controlling for more potential covariates, the strong and positive relationship between vaping by adolescent never smokers and subsequent trial of cigarettes decreases steadily. Using longitudinal data from PATH on U.S. adolescents, ours is the first study to control for both use of other tobacco products and other drugs (marijuana and alcohol in our case), along with commonly included variables. Using earlier waves of PATH data, we report reduced associations between vaping and subsequent smoking, adjusting for these covariates. This association became non-significant when we analyzed the two most recent waves of PATH, wave 4 and wave 4.5. Our study provides empirical evidence that raises questions about the strength of the relationship between youth vaping and subsequent trial of cigarettes.


3:50 pm - 4:05 pm

Adolescent substance use: more than e-cigarettes

Adolescents who are frequent users of multiple substances such as alcohol, marijuana, and cigarettes are at significantly higher risk of negative mental, physical, and substance use outcomes in adulthood, but studies often fail to focus on poly substance use, especially among younger adolescents. Dr. Pearson will present recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey data from adolescents ages 11-13 and 14-18 in Nevada, examining patterns of recent poly substance use that account for use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, and non-prescription pain medication, and their correlations with mental distress and risk and protective factors that offer potential targets to reduce the prevalence of the riskiest poly substance use patterns.


Speaker

4:05 pm - 4:20 pm

Are current e-cigarette policies aligned with health equity goals?

As a new researcher focused on eliminating health disparities, particularly death and disease from combustible tobacco use, how should I feel about tobacco harm reduction?  Working in tobacco control in an area with higher than average smoking prevalence, much of the current tobacco control agenda is focussed on preventing youth vaping. I find that I have more questions than answers: Should our focus be on nicotine addiction or combustible use? Is youth vaping similar to youth marijuana use – an experimental phase that will pass? What is the endgame?


Speaker

  • Jaron King Surveillance Co-ordinator - South Carolina Division of Tobacco Prevention and Control
4:20 pm - 4:55 pm

Panel Discussion and Live Q&A

  • Are we protecting kids or just the “right kind” of kids?
  • Can we de-couple the concern over youth initiation from the concern that youth vaping is a gateway to youth smoking
  • Is youth abstinence more important than adult cessation to achieve a smoke free future
  • Youth use and surveillance – are we asking the right questions and how can this be improved

Speakers

  • Prof Richard Miech Principal Investigator, Monitoring the Future - Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan
  • Associate Prof Jennifer Pearson Associate Professor in Health Administration and Policy - School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Reno
  • Jaron King Surveillance Co-ordinator - South Carolina Division of Tobacco Prevention and Control
4:55 pm - 5:00 pm

Closing remarks