Parents Sometimes Unaware of Children’s E-cigarette Use
Wu TS, Chaffee BW. Parental Awareness of Youth Tobacco Use and the Role of Household Tobacco Rules in Use Prevention. Pediatrics October 2020, e20194034.
https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2020/10/01/peds.2019-4034“In all waves (of the study), parents or guardians much less often knew or suspected that their children used tobacco if youth only reported use of electronic cigarettes, non-cigarette combustible products, or smokeless tobacco compared with cigarettes. Youth tobacco initiation was lower when youth and parents agreed that rules prohibited all tobacco use throughout the home (1-year adjusted odds ratio: 0.74; 95% confidence interval: 0.59–0.94) but not when parents talked with youth about tobacco (adjusted odds ratio: 1.08; 95% confidence interval: 0.94–1.23).”
Comment: Alternative tobacco products are often designed by the industry for easy concealment by users, including youth. Prohibiting use in the home is more effective than talking with youth about (discouraging) tobacco use.
Stephen Hamann
