E-Cigarette Use Falls Among Young Americans
The number of US middle and high school students using e-cigarettes fell from 3.6 million in 2020 to just over 2 million this year, according to the 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey.
About 11% of high school students, usually aged 14-18, said they recently used e-cigarettes or other vaping products — compared to 20% in 2020. E-cigarette use among middle school students, usually aged 11-14, fell from 5% to 3%.
The survey was done between January and May 2021. The results were released by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Many US schools were closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, which might explain why the decrease was so significant. Students were probably less likely to try or buy vaping products because they were at home, say experts.
However, the FDA and CDC said this was the first time the survey data was collected online, so the new results can't really be compared to past results. The survey is usually done in person in classrooms.
The survey also found that about 85% of students used flavored e-cigarettes. Their favorite flavors included fruit, candy and mint.
Anne Schuchat from the CDC told CNN that often the first product a child uses is a flavored one. "And there have been flavors that are really targeted at young people," she said.
E-cigarette use has been associated with lung injury and even death in the US, including a 15-year-old who died in Texas in 2019.
Last year, the US banned some e-cigarette flavors, including mint and fruit — but not for all types of vaping products.
