Big Drop Reported in Vaping By U.S. Teenagers

E-cigarette use among U.S. teens has dropped sharply this year, especially among middle and high school students, according to a federal report released Wednesday.

 

Experts believe last year's outbreak of vaping-related illness and deaths may have scared some children away, but they believe other factors have also contributed to the decline, including higher age restrictions and bans on flavors.

 

In a national survey, fewer than 20 percent of high school students and 5 percent of middle school students said they had recently used e-cigarettes and other vaping products. That's a big drop from a similar survey last year, which found that about 28 percent of high school students and 11 percent of middle school students had recently vaped.

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Officials said the survey showed a decrease of 1.8 million in the number of schoolchildren who vaped each year, from 5.4 million to 3.6 million.

But even as teen use declined, the report showed a sharp increase in disposable e-cigarette use. Earlier this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned flavors from small vaping devices such as Juul, which are primarily used by minors. The policy does not apply to disposable e-cigarettes, which still contain sweetened, candy-like flavors.

 

"As long as e-cigarettes of any flavor remain on the market, kids will be exposed to them and we will not solve this crisis," Matt Myers of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids said in a statement.

 

The national survey is conducted annually in schools by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and typically involves about 20,000 middle and high school students. It asked students if they had used any e-cigarettes or traditional tobacco products in the previous month. This year's survey was cut short due to school closures due to the coronavirus pandemic.

 

Federal health officials credit measures such as public health media campaigns, price increases and sales restrictions for declining e-cigarette sales. The age limit for sale is now 21.

 

But they also concede that the outbreak may have played a role. Brian King of the CDC said sales began to decline in August -- when national media coverage of the outbreak intensified.

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"Increased awareness may have influenced the decline in usage," Kim said.

 

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By the time the outbreak died down earlier this year, more than 2,800 people had been reported sick and 68 dead. Most of those who got sick said they had smoked solutions containing THC, the ingredient that produces high amounts of marijuana. CDC officials have gradually focused their investigations on black-market THC pods and a compound called vitamin E acetate that was added to illicit THC e-cigarette liquids.

Kenneth Warner, a professor emeritus at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, said the decline in teen e-cigarette use has been greater than expected.

 

"It does look like a substantial drop in a year, which is very encouraging," said Warner, a tobacco control expert.

Among possible factors, Warner pointed to the generally negative publicity surrounding vaping. Additionally, Juul preemptively removed all e-cigarette flavors except menthol and tobacco last fall ahead of federal action.

 

Warner and other researchers have tracked the recent decline in teen smoking to an all-time low -- about 6 percent -- despite an increase in e-cigarette use. With teen vaping down, it's critical to watch if teen smoking is starting to rise again, he said.

 

The new data comes on the same day that all U.S. e-cigarette makers face a long-delayed deadline to submit their products for FDA review. Generally, this means that e-cigarette companies must demonstrate that their products help smokers reduce or quit their use of cigarettes and other tobacco products.

 

E-cigarettes first appeared in the United States more than a decade ago and have grown in popularity with minimal federal regulation.