Longitudinal investigation of the association between alcohol use and subsequent e-cigarette use among young adults in the United States
Menée aux Etats-Unis par enquête auprès de 3 453 jeunes adultes de 18 à 24 ans n'ayant jamais consommé de tabac, cette étude analyse l'association entre la consommation d'alcool et le risque de commencer à utiliser la cigarette électronique
Objective: Few studies have considered whether alcohol use is associated with subsequent e-cigarette initiation and/or use. This study examined prospective associations between three past 30-day measures of alcohol use (any use, frequency, quantity) and two e-cigarette-related outcomes (initiation, current use).
Methods: The sample included 3453 tobacco-naïve young adults aged 18–24 who completed Waves 6–7 (data collected 2021–2023 in the United States) of the nationally representative Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study. Multivariable logistic regression models examined associations between Wave 6 alcohol use and Wave 7 e-cigarette use, controlling for sociodemographic covariates.
Results: A total of 229 participants (5.9%) reported e-cigarette initiation at Wave 7, of which 148 (66.0%) reported current use. Wave 6 past 30-day alcohol use (versus none) and quantity, but not frequency, were significantly associated with Wave 7 e-cigarette initiation. None of the alcohol-related variables were significantly associated with current e-cigarette use at follow-up.
Conclusions: Young adults who reported past 30-day alcohol use and those who typically consumed more drinks per occasion were more likely to initiate e-cigarette use. E-cigarette-related prevention efforts should include targeted messaging for young adults who drink, and alcohol-related interventions should highlight e-cigarette uptake as a potential consequence of alcohol consumption.
Preventive Medicine , article en libre accès, 2026