{"title":"Comparison of e-cigarette nicotine concentrations used by US adults and youth.","authors":"Hongying Daisy Dai, Paula R Guastello","doi":"10.1136/tc-2026-060393","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Nicotine concentration is a key characteristic of modern e-cigarette products. This study aims to illuminate age-related differences and temporal trends in nicotine concentrations to help inform strategies to reduce nicotine-related public health risks.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data were drawn from the US Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study Wave 5 (December 2018-November 2019), Wave 6 (March-November 2021) and Wave 7 (January 2022-April 2023) and analysed in 2026. χ² tests and multivariable regressions were used to compare nicotine levels used in e-cigarettes (ie, unknown, 0%, 0.1-1.7%, 1.8-4.9%, 5.0%+) by age groups at Wave 7 and examine trends in nicotine concentrations for adults (18+) across Waves 5-7.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among individuals currently using e-cigarettes at Wave 7 (n=3782), about 60.1% of those aged 12-14 and 51.2% of those aged 15-17 reported not knowing nicotine concentrations, and young adults aged 18-24 were the most likely to report using 5.0%+ (38.7% prevalence vs 24.4% of those aged 25-34, 14.6% of 35-54 and 4.3% of 55+). The proportion of adults responding 'I don't know' increased from 15.8% at Wave 5 to 23.8% at Wave 7, especially among those aged 18-24 (13.9-26.0) and 25-34 (13.9-23.6%). The proportion of adults reporting 5.0%+ increased from 13.9% to 24.4%(p<0.0001), and those reporting 0.1-1.7% decreased from 49.2% to 35.4% (p<0.0001).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Over half of youth using e-cigarettes were unaware of the nicotine concentration. High-concentration products have become increasingly prevalent, especially among young adults. Clearer nicotine concentration labelling on e-cigarette products and continued surveillance of nicotine levels are needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":23145,"journal":{"name":"Tobacco Control","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3000,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Tobacco Control","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1136/tc-2026-060393","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective: Nicotine concentration is a key characteristic of modern e-cigarette products. This study aims to illuminate age-related differences and temporal trends in nicotine concentrations to help inform strategies to reduce nicotine-related public health risks.
Methods: Data were drawn from the US Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study Wave 5 (December 2018-November 2019), Wave 6 (March-November 2021) and Wave 7 (January 2022-April 2023) and analysed in 2026. χ² tests and multivariable regressions were used to compare nicotine levels used in e-cigarettes (ie, unknown, 0%, 0.1-1.7%, 1.8-4.9%, 5.0%+) by age groups at Wave 7 and examine trends in nicotine concentrations for adults (18+) across Waves 5-7.
Results: Among individuals currently using e-cigarettes at Wave 7 (n=3782), about 60.1% of those aged 12-14 and 51.2% of those aged 15-17 reported not knowing nicotine concentrations, and young adults aged 18-24 were the most likely to report using 5.0%+ (38.7% prevalence vs 24.4% of those aged 25-34, 14.6% of 35-54 and 4.3% of 55+). The proportion of adults responding 'I don't know' increased from 15.8% at Wave 5 to 23.8% at Wave 7, especially among those aged 18-24 (13.9-26.0) and 25-34 (13.9-23.6%). The proportion of adults reporting 5.0%+ increased from 13.9% to 24.4%(p<0.0001), and those reporting 0.1-1.7% decreased from 49.2% to 35.4% (p<0.0001).
Conclusions: Over half of youth using e-cigarettes were unaware of the nicotine concentration. High-concentration products have become increasingly prevalent, especially among young adults. Clearer nicotine concentration labelling on e-cigarette products and continued surveillance of nicotine levels are needed.
期刊介绍:
Tobacco Control is an international peer-reviewed journal covering the nature and consequences of tobacco use worldwide; tobacco''s effects on population health, the economy, the environment, and society; efforts to prevent and control the global tobacco epidemic through population-level education and policy changes; the ethical dimensions of tobacco control policies; and the activities of the tobacco industry and its allies.