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Non-Traditional Flavor Ban Not Having Intended Effect on Curbing Youth E-Cigarette Initiation
While non-traditional flavors have been identified as a potential contributing factor to the rise of adolescent e-cigarette use in the United States, new data published in BMC Public Health shows that isn’t necessarily the case.
In a study of 1043 youth between the ages of 12 and 17 who reported at least 1 instance of e-cigarette use, there was no statistically significant difference in addiction levels between those initiating with traditional flavors and non-traditional flavors.
The study was based on data from the multi-wave youth Population Assessment of Tobacco Health Study. The impact of initiating e-cigarette use with traditional and non-traditional flavored products was analyzed through self-report questionnaires.
“These findings suggest that banning non-traditional flavors alone may be ineffective in curbing e-cigarette addiction and harm perception,” the researchers wrote. “Additional research is needed to better understand which e-cigarette product characteristics and behaviors may be associated with greater addiction and reduced harm perceptions.”
Previous research found that in 2021, about 2.06 million youth reported e-cigarette usage, including 11.3% of high school students and 2.8% of middle schoolers. Among current e-cigarette users in high school, 27.6% reported daily usage, while 8.3% of middle school users reported daily usage. Another study analyzing adolescent e-cigarette initiation patterns found that 81% of young e-cigarette users started with a non-traditional flavor, such as fruit, pastry, clove, alcohol drink, or soda.
In early 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration banned the sale of cartridge-based e-cigarettes containing flavors other than menthol and tobacco. The ban, however, only applied to pre-filled, cartridge-based products, while still allowing for the sale of refillable cartridges and other product types.
Researchers for the study published by BMC Public Health on Tuesday posited that the inclusion of menthol/mint among traditional flavors could be an explanation for the lack of difference in addiction levels between those initiating with traditional flavors and non-traditional flavors. Following the ban, menthol flavor sales increased from 10.7% to 61.8%.
“Given the similar levels of perceived addiction and harm, failure to address use of traditional flavors alongside use of non-traditional flavors may not lower the prevalence of e-cigarette use,” the researchers wrote. “To effectively curb e-cigarette use and reduce their health impact, future legislation will need to address traditional flavor types like menthol and tobacco. Further research is needed to examine the benefit of banning non-traditional flavors.”
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