Potential risk factors for cigarette use among a sample of college JUUL users

Abstract

Objective: To examine the relationship between demographics, other tobacco use, and JUUL dependency on combustible cigarette use among college JUUL users. Participants: Undergraduates (n = 595) at a large southwestern university who used JUUL weekly completed a cross-sectional online survey in March 2019. Methods: Logistic regressions examined associations between covariates and ever use/past 30-day use of cigarettes. Results: As age increased, odds of ever trying a cigarette increased (AOR = 1.87; 95% CI = 1.45–2.41); however, as age of JUUL initiation increased, odds of ever (AOR = 0.80; 95% CI = 0.65–0.99) or past 30-day (AOR = 0.78; 95% CI = 0.63–0.97) cigarette use decreased. Those moderately (AOR = 2.03; 95% CI = 1.07–3.82) or highly (AOR = 8.01; 95% CI = 3.08–20.83) dependent on JUUL were more likely to have tried cigarettes than those not dependent. However, dependence was not associated with past 30-day use. Conclusions: JUUL users may not transition to combustible cigarettes during college. Longitudinal studies are needed to examine transitions in JUUL users’ tobacco product use after college.

Keywords:

• Cigarettes
• college students
• e-cigarette
• electronic cigarette
• JUUL
• risk factor

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the University of Oklahoma Stephenson Cancer Center.