Prevalence and Factors Associated with Electronic Cigarette Use Among Young Adult Cancer Survivors Using Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2016-2018.

ABSTRACT

Purpose: This study describes the prevalence trends of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use in young adult cancer survivors and compares these to the prevalence among young adults without a cancer history. It also examines the association between conventional cigarette use, binge drinking, depression, and other sociodemographic factors, and e-cigarette use in young adult cancer survivors. Methods: Cross-sectional analyses, using the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2016-2018, were done. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the associations between conventional cigarette use, binge drinking, and depression as well as other factors associated with e-cigarette use in young adult cancer survivors. Results: Lifetime e-cigarette use increased from 40.1% in 2016 to 47.4% in 2018. Former smokers were 5.47 times (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.48-8.61) more likely to be lifetime e-cigarette users and 1.9 times (95% CI 1.12-3.23) more likely to be current e-cigarette users compared to never smokers. Current smokers were over sixteen folds more likely (adjusted odds ratio 16.50, 95% CI 11.59-23.57) to be lifetime e-cigarette users and 2.1 times (95% CI 1.24-3.57) more likely to be current e-cigarette users relative to never smokers. Furthermore, binge drinking and depression were associated with higher odds of lifetime e-cigarette use, while increasing age was associated with lower odds of e-cigarette use. Compared to females, males were significantly more likely to be current users of e-cigarettes relative to former users. Conclusion: Conventional cigarette use, binge drinking, depression, age, and gender were found to be associated with e-cigarette use among young adult cancer survivors. Policies targeted at e-cigarette control among young adult cancer survivors need to be multipronged, simultaneously addressing other harmful practices such as binge drinking and the use of conventional cigarettes.