E-cigarettes create an aerosol by using a battery to heat up liquid that usually contains nicotine, flavorings, and other additives. Users inhale this aerosol into their lungs. E-cigarettes can also be used to deliver cannabinoids such as marijuana, and other drugs.
Since e-cigarettes arrived on the market, there's been a lot of buzz about them. In the past several years, many myths, safety concerns, and questions have come up. Let's review some key facts.
E-cigarettes are a 2.5 billion dollar business in the United States. As of 2014, the e-cigarette industry spent $125 million a year to advertise their products and used many of the techniques that made traditional cigarettes such a popular consumer product.
Marketing and advertising of conventional tobacco products like cigarettes are proven to cause youth to use tobacco products. Scientists are also finding that youth who are exposed to e-cigarette advertisements are more likely to use the product than youth who are not exposed.
Between 2011 and 2018, past-30-day e-cigarette use grew dramatically among middle school (grades 6-8) and high school (grades 9-12) students. E-cigarettes have been the most commonly used tobacco product by youth in the United States since 2014. Dual use, or use of e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes by the same person, is common among youth and young adults (ages 18-24).
Youth and young adults cite a variety of reasons for using e-cigarettes. These include:
Flavored e-cigarettes are very popular among youth and young adults. In 2014, more than 9 of 10 young adult e-cigarette users said they use e-cigarettes flavored to taste like menthol, alcohol, candy, fruit, chocolate, or other sweets. In 2018, more than 6 of 10 high school students who use e-cigarettes said they use flavored e-cigarettes.
Source: MMWR, Reasons for Electronic Cigarette Use Among Middle and High School Students
E-cigarette marketing, including product design and packaging, appeals to a young audience. For example, many e-cigarettes feature bright colors and fruit, candy, alcohol or other flavors that youth find attractive and interesting.
Many themes in e-cigarette marketing, including sexual content and customer satisfaction, are parallel to themes and techniques that the tobacco industry aimed at youth and young adults in their advertising and promotion of conventional cigarettes.
In 2018, more than 5 in 10 middle school and high school students – more than 14 million youth – said they had seen e-cigarette advertising. Retail stores were the most frequent source of this advertising, followed by the internet, TV and movies, and magazines and newspapers.
Youth tobacco use in any form, including e-cigarettes, is unsafe. A recent national survey showed that about 10% of U.S. youth believe e-cigarettes cause no harm, 62% believe they cause little or some harm, and 28% believe they cause a lot of harm when they are used some days but not every day. In 2014, nearly 20% of young adults believe e-cigarettes cause no harm, more than half believe that they are moderately harmful, and 26.8% believe they are very harmful.
Young people who believe e-cigarettes cause no harm are more likely to use e-cigarettes than those who believe e-cigarettes cause a lot of harm.
E-cigarettes pose potential risks to the population as a whole. E-cigarettes could cause public health harm if they:
Take this quiz to get the facts on e-cigarette use among youth and young adults.
More than 6 of 10 youth believe that occasional use of e-cigarettes causes only little or some harm.
Which of the following is a risk to youth and young adults who use nicotine?
Which of these tobacco products is most commonly used by U.S. high school students?
Which of the following are reasons youth and young adults use e-cigarettes?
You got out of 5!
Read up on the following sections of this site to learn more about e-cigarettes:
Then, re-take the quiz to test your knowledge again. Share this quiz on social media and challenge your friends to see how well they know the facts.
Try Again!Great job! You know the key facts about e-cigarettes. Share this quiz on social media and challenge your friends to see how well they know the facts.
Try Again!Scientists are still learning more about how e-cigarettes affect health. However, there is already enough evidence to justify efforts to prevent e-cigarette use by young people.
Because most tobacco use starts during adolescence, actions to protect our nation's young people from a lifetime of nicotine addiction are critical.
Working together, we can keep America's youth and young adults safe from the dangers associated with tobacco use and nicotine addiction.