Baseline study of adolescent e-cigarette use or smoking was associated…
Baseline study of adolescent e-cigarette use or smoking was associated with subsequent smoking or e-cigarette use: A gateway in both directions. Martinelli T, Candel MJJM, deVries H, et al. Exploring the gateway hypothesis of e-cigarettes and tobacco: a prospective replication study among adolescents in the Netherlands and Flanders. Tobacco Control. Online First: 05 July 2021. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2021-056528 | Consistent with prior findings, baseline e-cigarette use was associated with higher odds of tobacco smoking at 6-month (OR=1.89; 95% CI 1.05 to 3.37) and 12-month (OR=5.63; 95% CI 3.04 to 10.42) follow-ups. More frequent use of e-cigarettes at baseline was associated with more frequent smoking at follow-ups. Baseline tobacco smoking was associated with subsequent e-cigarette use (OR=3.10; 95% CI 1.58 to 6.06 at both follow-ups).
Our study replicated the positive relation between e-cigarette use and tobacco smoking in both directions for adolescents. This may mean that the gateway works in two directions, that e-cigarette and tobacco use share common risk factors, or that both mechanisms apply. https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/early/2022/05/08/tobaccocontrol-2021-056528
Stephen Hamann
