Latent Classes of Tobacco and Cannabis Use among Youth and Young Adults in the United States

Abstract

Background: Research characterizing patterns of tobacco and cannabis use by product type and route of administration among youth and young adults (YAs) is limited. Methods: We conducted latent class analysis of tobacco and cannabis use (i.e., cigarettes, electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), cigars, blunts, cannabis vaping, and other cannabis use (without blunting/vaping)) among youth (ages 15-17) and YAs (ages 18-24) who used at least one product in the past 30 days, using data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study (Wave 4, 2016-2017). We used multinomial logistic regression models to examine associations between sociodemographic characteristics and use classes. Results: The latent use classes for youth included cigarettes (2.5%), ENDS (2.6%), blunts (2.5%), other cannabis (6.3%), ENDS + cannabis vaping (2.7%), and cigarettes + cigars + other cannabis (1.5%), while the latent use classes for YAs included cigarettes (11.7%), ENDS (3.9%), blunts (5.3%), other cannabis (7.0%), cigarettes + cigars (8.2%), and cigarettes + ENDS + cannabis vaping (4.9%). We compared use classes to never/former use for youth (82.0%) and YAs (59.0%) and found that they differed by each sociodemographic characteristic. For example, non-Hispanic Black YAs had higher odds of cigarettes + cigar use compared to non-Hispanic White YAs, whereas racial/ethnic minority youth and YAs had lower odds of other dual/poly use groups compared to their non-Hispanic White counterparts. Conclusions: We observed differences in use classes by sociodemographic characteristics for youth and YAs. Health professionals must consider tobacco and cannabis use patterns when implementing prevention and cessation interventions.

Keywords:

• tobacco
• cigarette
• e-cigarette
• cigar
• cannabis
• blunting
• vaping
• disparities
• epidemiology

Declaration of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Data availability statement

The restricted-use data used in this manuscript were obtained from the National Addiction & HIV Data Archive Program (NAHDAP) through the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research at the University of Michigan and supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Further information on how to access the restricted use files can be requested through NAHDAP. doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR36231.v30

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health (grant number (U54CA229974)). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.