Exploring Associations between Susceptibility to the Use of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems and E-Cigarette Use among School-Going Adolescents in Rural Appalachia

Hadii M. Mamudu, Christen Nwabueze, Florence M. Weierbach, Joshua Yang, Antwan Jones, Michelle McNabb, Esther Adeniran, Ying Liu, Liang Wang, Cynthia J. Blair, Adeola Awujoola and David L. Wood
Additional contact information
Hadii M. Mamudu: Department of Health Services Management and Policy, College of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA
Christen Nwabueze: Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, College of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA
Florence M. Weierbach: Department of Graduate Studies, College of Nursing, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA
Joshua Yang: Department of Public Health, California State University, Fullerton, CA 92831, USA
Antwan Jones: Department of Epidemiology, Milken School of Public Health, and Department of Sociology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
Michelle McNabb: Northeast Regional Office, Tennessee Department of Health, Johnson City, TN 37604, USA
Esther Adeniran: Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, College of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA
Ying Liu: Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, College of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA
Liang Wang: Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, College of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA
Cynthia J. Blair: Department of Health Services Management and Policy, College of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA
Adeola Awujoola: Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, College of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA
David L. Wood: James H. Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37604, USA

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 14, 1-14

Abstract: Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) use, including e-cigarettes, has surpassed the use of conventional tobacco products. Emerging research suggests that susceptibility to e-cigarette use is associated with actual use among adolescents. However, few studies exist involving adolescents in high-risk, rural, socioeconomically distressed environments. This study examines susceptibility to and subsequent usage in school-going adolescents in a rural distressed county in Appalachian Tennessee using data from an online survey ( N = 399). Relying on bivariate analyses and logistic regression, this study finds that while 30.6% of adolescents are ever e-cigarette users, 15.5% are current users. Approximately one in three adolescents are susceptible to e-cigarettes use, and susceptibility is associated with lower odds of being a current e-cigarette user (OR = 0.03; CI: 0.01–0.12; p < 0.00). The age of tobacco use initiation was significantly associated with decreased current use of e-cigarettes (OR = 0.89; CI: 0.83–0.0.97; p < 0.01). Overall, the results of this exploratory study suggest the need for larger studies to identify unique and generalizable factors that predispose adolescents in this high-risk rural, socioeconomically disadvantaged region to ENDS use. Nevertheless, this study offers insight into e-cigarette usage among U.S adolescents in rural, socioeconomically disadvantaged environments and provides a foundation for a closer examination of this vulnerable population.

Keywords: electronic nicotine delivery systems; e-cigarettes; Appalachia; adolescents; rural susceptibility; social determinants of health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/14/5133/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/14/5133/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:14:p:5133-:d:385248

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().