The association between home language, self-identified Hispanic origin, and current e-cigarette use among Hispanic youth in the United States – National Youth Tobacco Survey, 2022–2023

Abstract

Objective

Cigarette smoking differs within the Hispanic population, with adults from Puerto Rico and Cuba (PRC) reporting higher percentages than those from Mexico and Central or South America. Limited research examines if there are similar patterns for e-cigarette use among Hispanic youth. This study examined associations between home language, self-identified Hispanic origin, and e-cigarette use among Hispanic youth.

Methods

The 2022–2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey included 13,724 Hispanic middle and high school students in the United States. Logistic regression, with multiple imputation for missing data, analyzed associations between home language, self-identified Hispanic origin, and their interaction with e-cigarette use, adjusting for demographics.

Results

Among youth, 49.9 % were of Mexican origin, 9.9 % PRC origin, 31.5 % from Other Hispanic origins, and 8.7 % from Multiple origins. E-cigarette use varied by origin: 13.9 % among PRC, 7.6 % among Mexican, 8.3 % among Other Hispanic, and 9.4 % among Multiple origin. Most (69.7 %) spoke a non-English language at home. No significant interaction was found between origin and home language (p = 0.8). Adjusted models without interaction showed higher e-cigarette use among students of PRC origin compared to Mexican origin (aOR = 1.55, 95 % CI: 1.11, 2.18). No association was found between language and e-cigarette use.

Conclusions

PRC-origin youth had higher e-cigarette use than Mexican-origin youth, regardless of home language. These patterns in e-cigarette youth among Hispanic youth are similar to cigarette use among Hispanic adults. Further research should explore factors driving higher use among PRC-origin youth.