A new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that over 1 in 10 young adults use e-cigarettes on a regular basis, reports CNN.

The study, based on data from the National Health Interview Survey, deals with e-cigarette use in 2021 and shows that the use of e-cigarettes generally declined as family income increased. It also shows that adults aged under 44 are more likely to use both e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes, according to CNN. Previous research by CDC concluded that sales of e-cigarettes had gone up to 22.7 million products sold per month by 2022 with more brands entering the market and an array of flavours pushing popularity.
The new study indicates that a little under 1 in 20 adults reported that they were current e-cigarette users in 2021, with slightly higher rates among men than women, reports CNN. Among those aged 18 to 24, 11 per cent said they actively consumed e-cigarette products. The study found that as people got older the use of e-cigarettes dropped and the use of traditional cigarettes climbed with 11.4 per cent of over 45s surveyed saying they currently smoke cigarettes.
Dr Joanna Cohen, director of the Institute for Global Tobacco Control at Johns Hopkins University, finds the young age of e-cigarette users worrying.
“If e-cigarettes were being used as we would hope, the only people who should use them are those who are using them to quit smoking,” she said.
According to the new report, white adults are twice as likely to use e-cigarettes than Black survey respondents. It also found those with higher incomes had the lowest e-cigarette use rate.
“Tobacco companies are masters of targeted marketing as well as manipulation,” Cohen said. “They want to make products that are attractive and appealing to a variety of demographics and ages. They also heavily promote their products … to particularly what we might call vulnerable populations.”