What Factors are Associated with Electronic Cigarette, Shisha-Tobacco and Conventional Cigarette Use? Findings from a Cross-Sectional Survey of Australian Adolescents?

ABSTRACT

Background: Adolescents' use of electronic cigarettes and shisha-tobacco increased in several countries during the 2000s, including in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada. Few studies have examined the factors associated with exclusive e-cigarette or shisha-tobacco use and whether adolescents using these substances exclusively differ from those using traditional cigarettes. Objectives: To examine the socio-demographic and behavioural correlates of exclusive e-cigarette and exclusive shisha-tobacco use to those found for users of tobacco cigarettes and multiple nicotine products in Australian adolescents. Methods: Cross-sectional survey of smoking behaviours of a random sample of 4,576 students in the Australian state of Victoria aged 12–17 conducted between June 2014 and December 2014. Results: Overall, 14% of students had used an e-cigarette with 3% using e-cigarettes exclusively. 13% had used shisha-tobacco, with 2% using shisha-tobacco exclusively. Most students (65%) using e-cigarette and shisha-tobacco (67%) had also used tobacco cigarettes. After adjusting for demographic factors, students using e-cigarettes only were more likely to have never used cannabis or drink alcohol in the past year compared to tobacco cigarette users. Compared to tobacco cigarette users, students using only shisha-tobacco were younger, less likely to use cannabis or alcohol or have friends or parents who smoke. Conclusions: Most Australian adolescents who use alternative nicotine and tobacco-related products do so in conjunction with tobacco cigarettes. Students using e-cigarettes or shisha-tobacco exclusively were less likely to use other substances. Australian longitudinal studies are needed to determine whether this group of students are on a pathway to traditional tobacco use.

KEYWORDS:

• Tobacco
• adolescents
• Australia
• electronic cigarettes
• shisha
• hookah

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank and acknowledge the government and non-government education authorities, the school principals, teachers, and students who cooperated to make this study possible.

Declaration of interest

Nothing to declare.

Publication statement

This article has not been published elsewhere or submitted simultaneously for publication elsewhere.

Additional information

Funding

Data used in this study were gathered from surveys funded in part by the Australian Government Department of Health; the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services; the Cancer Council Victoria. The funders had no role in the study design, data collection, analyses or reporting of the data.