Juul use among emerging adults transitioning from high school to college

Abstract

Objective: Assess the prevalence, perceptions, sociodemographic/personal factors that influence Juul use among incoming freshmen.

Participants: Incoming undergraduate students (N = 1,706) attending a public university in the southeastern U.S.

Methods: Cross-sectional survey administered August 2018. Bivariate relationships assessed using chi-square test of association. Multinomial logistic regression to determine factors associated with Juul use status.

Results: 41% had ever used Juul, 24% had used within the past month. Among current users, one-third had used 20–30 days. Risk factors for current use: heterosexual orientation (relative to other sexual orientation) AOR = 2.16, 95% CI: 1.20–3.91), those who planned to join sorority/fraternity (relative to those who did not plan to; AOR = 2.15, 95% CI: 1.59–2.90), current smokers (relative to nonsmokers; AOR = 24.39, 95% CI: 7.52–76.92), current marijuana users (compared with nonusers of marijuana; AOR = 6.45, 95% CI: 3.92–10.64) and alcohol users (compared with nondrinkers; AOR = 7.81, 95% CI: 5.75–10.54).

Conclusion: Prevention and treatment efforts are needed for emerging adults transitioning to college.

Keywords:

• Adolescents
• e-cigarettes
• tobacco prevention

Conflict of interest disclosure

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The project described was supported by the NationalInstitutesofHealth (NIH) National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences through grant number UL1TR001998. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH. NIAAA had no role in the study design, collection, analysis or interpretation of the data, writing the manuscript, or the decision to submit the paper for publication.