Latent Classes of Perceived Addictiveness Predict Marijuana, Alcohol, and Tobacco Use in Youth and Young Adults.

Background: Mass media substance use prevention efforts target addiction perceptions in young people. This study examined youth and young adults' (YAs) perceived addictiveness across several substances and the associations between addiction perceptions and substance use. Methods: Data were collected in 2019 in an online cohort study of Vermonters aged 12-25. Latent class analyses grouped participants by perceived addictiveness of nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes, electronic vapor products (EVPs), and opioids. Bivariate multinomial logistic and modified Poisson regression estimated associations between sociodemographics, substance use correlates, and subsequent use across latent classes. Results: Four latent classes captured addiction perceptions: high perceived addictiveness of EVPs, cigarettes, marijuana, and alcohol (Class 1: n = 317; 31.3%), low perceived addictiveness of marijuana, alcohol, and caffeine (Class 2: n = 151; 14.3%), low perceived addictiveness of marijuana (Class 3: n = 581; 46.5%), and low perceived addictiveness of nicotine, cigarettes, and EVPs (Class 4: n = 83; 7.9%). For each year increase in age, there was a 36% increased likelihood of being in Class 2 (vs. Class 1) and a 148% increased likelihood of belonging to Class 3 (vs. Class 1). Low perceived addictiveness classes were associated with ever and past 30-day marijuana and alcohol use and predicted past 30-day alcohol use at three-month follow-up. Membership in Classes 2 and 3 also predicted past 30-day marijuana use at Wave 3. Discussion: The strong association between age and latent classes defined by low perceived addictiveness suggests age group differences in addiction perceptions. Findings suggest that YAs may benefit from prevention messaging on addictiveness.

The scope and impact of obesity in Vermont - Strategies for change.

Obesity is a complex, multi-faceted condition amplified by a confluence of socio-economic and environmental forces. Even in Vermont, a state long ranked as one of the healthiest, 25% of adults are obese, a rate better than 44 other states, but more than double that in 1990. Obesity puts people at greater risk for a number of serious health conditions, and may soon overtake tobacco as the #1 real killer if the current trend is not reversed. Beyond the cost to an individual's health, the projected financial impacts of an increasingly obese population are great. Nationally, the estimated direct and indirect costs of obesity add up to more than $190 billion each year. In public health terms, the challenge we are facing with obesity can well be compared to our experience with tobacco. We can easily track advances in policy, counter-marketing and other changes that together have created an environment in which smoking is no longer the norm. The Vermont Department of Health is beginning to apply strategies similar to those used to successfully cut smoking rates. This commentary describes Vermont's efforts to increase physical activity, decrease caloric intake, and enlist partners to help make healthy choices easier and more accessible for everyone.