Krysten W Bold, Grace Kong, Meghan E Morean, Akshika Sharma, William Courtney, Wei Li, Danielle R Davis, Deepa Camenga, Rachel Ouellette, Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin
{"title":"Understanding Reasons to Quit or Reduce Vaping and Associations With Quitting Outcomes Among High School Adolescents in Connecticut.","authors":"Krysten W Bold, Grace Kong, Meghan E Morean, Akshika Sharma, William Courtney, Wei Li, Danielle R Davis, Deepa Camenga, Rachel Ouellette, Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin","doi":"10.1016/j.jadohealth.2025.01.004","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Understanding youth experiences quitting vaping is important for informing youth-focused e-cigarette cessation interventions to improve public health. This study aims to examine reasons for quitting/reducing vaping and associations with quitting outcomes.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We surveyed high school students in Connecticut in 2022 using a brief, anonymous online questionnaire assessing e-cigarette use. Adolescents (N = 756; mean age = 15.9, SD = 1.2) who reported lifetime e-cigarette use answered questions about previous experiences trying to quit or reduce vaping, including reasons for quitting/reducing and quitting outcomes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among adolescents who had ever vaped, 56.8% only vaped a few times and did not continue, while 32.2% reported seriously trying to quit or reduce vaping. Common reasons for quitting/reducing vaping included concerns about health (50.2%), addiction (45.5%), and cost (42.5%). Additional reasons cited were impacting ability to play sports (30.0%), spending too much time vaping (23.2%), and resetting tolerance (21.5%). Among those who tried to quit, 40.3% reported they were successful, 39.6% reported continuing vaping, and 20.1% reported quitting vaping but using other nicotine/tobacco products (e.g., cigarettes, cigarillos, blunts, nicotine pouches). Quitting due to influence of friends was associated with success quitting (vs. still vaping or using other nicotine/tobacco products, p ≤ .02), while quitting due to punishment (e.g., suspension) or losing e-cigarette access temporarily (e.g., family vacation) were associated with continued vaping (p ≤ .03).</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Adolescents endorse many reasons for quitting or reducing vaping that may help inform e-cigarette interventions. Interventions should consider encouraging cessation of all nicotine/tobacco products while leveraging peer support strategies and minimizing punitive measures to support quitting.</p>","PeriodicalId":56278,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Adolescent Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Adolescent Health","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2025.01.004","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PEDIATRICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Purpose: Understanding youth experiences quitting vaping is important for informing youth-focused e-cigarette cessation interventions to improve public health. This study aims to examine reasons for quitting/reducing vaping and associations with quitting outcomes.
Methods: We surveyed high school students in Connecticut in 2022 using a brief, anonymous online questionnaire assessing e-cigarette use. Adolescents (N = 756; mean age = 15.9, SD = 1.2) who reported lifetime e-cigarette use answered questions about previous experiences trying to quit or reduce vaping, including reasons for quitting/reducing and quitting outcomes.
Results: Among adolescents who had ever vaped, 56.8% only vaped a few times and did not continue, while 32.2% reported seriously trying to quit or reduce vaping. Common reasons for quitting/reducing vaping included concerns about health (50.2%), addiction (45.5%), and cost (42.5%). Additional reasons cited were impacting ability to play sports (30.0%), spending too much time vaping (23.2%), and resetting tolerance (21.5%). Among those who tried to quit, 40.3% reported they were successful, 39.6% reported continuing vaping, and 20.1% reported quitting vaping but using other nicotine/tobacco products (e.g., cigarettes, cigarillos, blunts, nicotine pouches). Quitting due to influence of friends was associated with success quitting (vs. still vaping or using other nicotine/tobacco products, p ≤ .02), while quitting due to punishment (e.g., suspension) or losing e-cigarette access temporarily (e.g., family vacation) were associated with continued vaping (p ≤ .03).
Discussion: Adolescents endorse many reasons for quitting or reducing vaping that may help inform e-cigarette interventions. Interventions should consider encouraging cessation of all nicotine/tobacco products while leveraging peer support strategies and minimizing punitive measures to support quitting.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Adolescent Health is a scientific publication dedicated to enhancing the health and well-being of adolescents and young adults. Our Journal covers a broad range of research topics, spanning from the basic biological and behavioral sciences to public health and policy. We welcome a variety of contributions, including original research papers, concise reports, literature reviews, clinical case reports, opinion pieces, and letters to the editor. We encourage professionals from diverse disciplines such as Anthropology, Education, Ethics, Global Health, Health Services Research, Law, Medicine, Mental and Behavioral Health, Nursing, Nutrition, Psychology, Public Health and Policy, Social Work, Sociology, and Youth Development to share their expertise and contribute to our mission of promoting adolescent health. Moreover, we value the voices of young individuals, family and community members, and healthcare professionals, and encourage them to submit poetry, personal narratives, images, and other creative works that provide unique insights into the experiences of adolescents and young adults. By combining scientific peer-reviewed research with creative expressions, our Journal aims to create a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities in adolescent and young adult health.