Flavored E-Cigarette Use May Increase Teens' Taste for Smoking

American Academy of Pediatrics: New research shows the use of electronic cigarettes with flavors such as gummy bear and bubble gum among U.S. middle- and high-school students may serve as a gateway for future smoking. The study in the December 2016 Pediatrics, "Flavored Electronic Cigarette Use and Smoking Among Youth" (published online Nov. 7), suggests use of these products increases a young people's intentions to begin smoking and decreases their perception of tobacco's danger. Researchers analyzing 2014 National Youth Tobacco Survey data found that among respondents who had never smoked, for example, 58 percent of those who used flavored e-cigarettes said they intended to start smoking.
This compares to 20 percent of those who had not used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days and 47 percent of those who had used non-flavored e-cigarettes. In addition, among all respondents, students who reported using flavored e-cigarettes were less likely to think of tobacco as dangerous compared with those who reported using non-flavored e-cigarettes or those who reported not using use e-cigarettes. The study authors noted that more than 460 brands and 7,700 flavors of e-cigarettes currently are on the market, while the number of U.S. youth who use e-cigarettes has nearly quadrupled since 2013.