Youth vaping beliefs and behaviors: evidence from New York

Abstract

Current use of vaping products has increased in recent years among youth in the United States. We conducted cross-sectional surveys of vaping product users aged 15-17 in New York in 2017 and 2019 to assess vaping freqency, reported nicotine content of vaping products used, risk perceptions of vaping and openness to vaping cannabis (2019 survey only). Between 2017 and 2019, the proportion of youth vapers who were frequent vaping product users increased from 16.8% to 26.2% (P < 0.05). The proportion of youth vapers who usually used high-nicotine vaping products also increased, from 12.6% to 40.0% (P < 0.05). In both years, the use of high-nicotine vaping products was positively associated with frequent use (P < 0.05). The perceived likelihood of harm from vaping increased (P < 0.05), but respondents' perception of harm from using tobacco-flavored vaping products remained higher than that from using menthol/mint or sweet flavors. In 2019, 60.6% of respondents reported having tried vaping cannabis. Results suggest shifts in youth vaping behavior toward more frequent use and use of higher nicotine vaping products, support previous findings about youth misperceptions about health risks of flavored vaping products and highlight openness to vaping cannabis among youth vaping product users.