The prevalence of e-cigarette use, also known as vaping, has been growing among young adults in recent years. Vaping during young adulthood may increase one’s risk of experimentation with cigarette smoking. Polysubstance use has also become a growing concern among vape users, as they have increased odds of cannabis and illicit drug use compared to non-e-cigarette users. This may in part be due to the ability to use non-nicotine substances, like cannabis, in vaping devices. Additionally, one study found that adolescents who vape have 6.6 higher odds of alcohol use and 6.7 times higher odds of binge drinking compared to non-users. This study examines the association between vaping frequency on past 30-day alcohol and cannabis use among young adults.
The study’s sample consisted of 1,328 young adults age 16-24 years old from Canada who reported vaping at least once a week for the past three months. Participants completed a survey that assessed number of days vaped per week, number of vaping episodes per day, number of puffs per vaping episode, and nicotine level. Participants were also asked to report their alcohol and cannabis use over the past 30 days. Lastly, participants were asked if they ever share their vape with others and how many people they have shared their vape with. Data was analyzed using k-means cluster analysis and a one-way MANOVA to assess for the effect of vaping frequency on alcohol and cannabis use.
Results of the data analysis identified four groups of e-cigarette users: daily heavy and binge vapers (14.1%), daily heavy vapers (15.5%), daily moderate vapers (28.7%), and non-daily light vapers (41.7%). Heavy and binge vapers had a higher number of alcohol consumption days when compared to non-daily light vapers and daily moderate vapers. Daily heavy and binge vapers had a larger amount of cannabis use days compared to non-daily light vapers, daily moderate vapers, and daily heavy vapers. Lastly, non-daily light vapers were less likely to share their vape, more likely to have never owned their own vape, and less likely to use high nicotine concentrations.
Takeaway: Heavy and binge e-cigarette use may be associated with more alcohol and cannabis use and high-risk vaping behaviors among young adults.