E-cigarette Use Among Young Adult Patients: The Opportunity to Intervene on Risky Lifestyle Behaviors to Reduce Cancer Risk

Abstract

Use of e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) is on the rise. We administered a health needs survey via email to 804 adult primary care and oncology patients at a large urban academic medical center in 2019. We examined differences in e-cigarette use by smoking status, personal history of cancer, alcohol use, and second-hand tobacco smoke exposure. Of the 804 participants, 90 (11.2%) reported ever using e-cigarettes. E-cigarette use was more prevalent in young adults (risk ratio [RR] for 18-24 years: 4.58, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 2.05, 10.26), current smoking (RR 4.64, 95% CI 1.94, 11.07), very often/often binge drinking (RR 3.04, 96% CI 1.38, 6.73), and ≥ 1 smokers in the home (RR 3.90, 95% CI 2.10, 7.23). Binge alcohol consumption and tobacco smoking are associated with increased risk cancer. Inquiries about e-cigarette use among adults 25-40 years present providers the opportunity to also counsel young adult about reducing cancer risk.

Keywords: Binge alcohol consumption; E-cigarettes; Electronic nicotine delivery systems; Tobacco smoking; Young adults.