JUUL use and reasons for initiation among adult tobacco users

Abstract

BackgroundThe electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) JUUL has quickly captured the ENDS market, representing 74.6% of the total dollar share for this category as of November 2018. Although JUUL is marketed as an alternative to cigarettes intended for current adult smokers, evidence suggests that a majority of ENDS users are concurrently current cigarette smokers. Little is known about the dual use of JUUL and cigarettes, as well as the reasons for trying JUUL among adult tobacco users.MethodsA survey fielded via web and phone of 1332 current cigarette, cigar, little cigar or cigarillo (CLCC), and ENDS users aged 18–54 years was conducted from March to May 2018. Weighted descriptive and bivariate analyses examined JUUL use and reasons for trying JUUL by demographics, combustible tobacco use, ENDS use and intention to quit.ResultsApproximately 81% of our sample reported current use of two or more tobacco products, including cigarettes, CLCCs or ENDS. Among current tobacco users, 15% ever used JUUL and 12% used JUUL in the past 30 days. Most individuals (74%) reporting ever JUUL use indicated using it for 5 days or fewer in the past 30 days. The most common reason for trying JUUL was trying to quit smoking cigarettes (37%), followed by family, friends or colleagues using the product (32%).ConclusionAlthough some tobacco users may be initiating JUUL to decrease combustible use, most were using the product infrequently and concurrently with other products. Findings have significant implications for cessation intervention efforts and policy development to help smokers quit.

Investigating the Attitudes of Adolescents and Young Adults Towards JUUL: Computational Study Using Twitter Data

“…This finding seems incongruent with JUUL’s stated mission of improving the lives of smokers by eliminating combustible cigarette use and replacing it with the — purportedly less harmful — JUUL product [ 46 ]. This observation is also inconsistent with the results of a 2019 survey reporting that around 20% of individuals aged 18-24 years initiated JUUL use in an attempt to quit combustible tobacco [ 47 ]. Additional research has suggested that youth not only appear to be experimenting with JUUL but are also habitually using the device [ 48 ].…”

Sources of awareness, perceptions, and use of JUUL e-cigarettes among adult cigarette smokers

“…First, the study relied on an online sample that may be subject to selection bias; for example, the respondents who participated in online studies may hold certain characteristics that put them at different risks of using JUUL compared to the general population. However, the prevalence of ever and current JUUL use among adult smokers in our study is comparable to that of a nationally representative study [5] and an online study using a large U.S. sample of adult combustible users [6], signifying that our data may resemble the pattern of using JUUL among adult smokers in the U.S. Nevertheless, our findings need to be further confirmed with studies using large samples.…”

“…Among smokers aged 15-34, 14% and 10% had ever used JUUL and used JUUL in the past 30 days, respectively [5]. Another recent study found that in 2018, among adult combustible tobacco users aged 18-54 in the U.S., 15% and 12% had ever used JUUL and used JUUL in the past 30 days, respectively [6].…”

JUUL E-Cigarette Quit Attempts and Cessation Perceptions in College Student JUUL E-Cigarette Users

“…Young adults are a priority population for tobacco control. 9,18,22,54 The present study adds to the literature one of the first studies of JUUL cessation-related perceptions and behaviors. Nearly half of college student JUUL users had deliberately tried to quit.…”