Trends in youth e-cigarette and cigarette use between 2013 and 2019: insights from repeat cross-sectional data from the COMPASS study

Abstract

Objectives E-cigarettes are an increasingly popular product among youth in Canada. However, there is a lack of long-term data presenting trends in use. As such, the objective of this study was to examine trends in e-cigarette and cigarette use across various demographic characteristics between 2013 and 2019 among a large sample of secondary school youth in Canada. Methods Using repeat cross-sectional data from a non-probability sample of students in grades 9 to 12, this study explored trends in the prevalence of ever and current e-cigarette use and cigarette smoking between 2013–2014 and 2018–2019 in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec. Trends in ever and current e-cigarette use and cigarette smoking were studied across demographic variables among students in Ontario. Results The prevalence of e-cigarette ever and current use was variable across province and increased over time, particularly between 2016–2017 and 2018–2019. In contrast, the prevalence of current cigarette smoking was relatively stable over the study period, decreasing significantly in Alberta and Ontario between 2017–2018 and 2018–2019. In Ontario, the prevalence of ever and current e-cigarette use increased among all grades, both genders, and all ethnicities. Conclusion Consistent with data from the United States, the prevalence of e-cigarette use among our large sample of Canadian youth has increased substantially in a short period of time. Surveillance systems should continue to monitor the prevalence of tobacco use among youth. Additional interventions may be necessary to curb e-cigarette use among Canadian youth.

Can We Reverse this Trend? Exploring Health and Risk Behaviours of Grade 12 Cohorts of Ontario Students from 2013–2019

“…The largest relative change to the health behaviours investigated in this study was vaping, with a 461% relative increase among female students and a 216% relative increase among male students from wave 1 to wave 6. Consistent with other data [50][51][52], the prevalence of past 30-day tobacco use decreased across waves of grade 12 students, particularly in the most recent survey years coinciding with major increases in youth vaping [53]. This rise in youth vaping is alarming, and aligns with the evolution of the vaping market and tobacco companies' heavy advertising of their e-cigarette brands in Canada, following the legalization of e-cigarettes with nicotine [54].…”

Intention to lose weight and use of electronic cigarettes among adolescents

“…Among U.S. high school students for example, e-cigarette use increased by over 900% between 2011 and 2018, from 1.5% to nearly 21%, and increased by 78% from 2017 to 2018 ( Cullen et al, 2018 , US Department of Health and Human Services, 2016 ). These trends parallel those seen in other Western countries, according to survey data from Canada and 28 European countries ( Cole et al, 2020 , Kapan et al, 2020 , Laverty et al, 2018 ). In 2016, the U.S.…”

High School Intramural Participation and Substance Use: A Longitudinal Analysis of COMPASS Data

“…Although this null result could also be explained due to drastic changes in e-cigarette use during this time. From 2016 to 2018, e-cigarette use increased substantially among Canadian youth from 10% to 26% (Cole et al, 2020). This null result suggests that the increase in consumption was pervasive across all intramural groups, perhaps due to the novelty associated with e-cigarette use, the loosening of e-cigarette regulations in Canada in 2018, and the subsequent increase in exposure to e-cigarette advertising among youth (Hammond et al, 2020).…”