Use of e-cigarettes such as the JUUL is becoming more common among college students. A concern is that traditional means of collecting data to conduct research on these trends may not be fast enough for health professionals and college campuses to implement effective prevention strategies.
Because of this, a recent study collected data during college orientation sessions at seven different U.S. college campuses. This data was specifically related to JUUL and asked students questions about their knowledge and use of this product, as well as traditional cigarette use. The data was collected through immediate electronic audience response devices.
The results from the data indicated that on average, 13.7% of the incoming students used a JUUL daily while 1.7% used traditional cigarettes. 67.3% of the students knew that a JUUL always contains nicotine. However, 30.1% of students thought that JUULs only contained nicotine and flavoring while 2.1% did not know there was nicotine in a JUUL. These numbers are higher than other studies related to college e-cigarette use and highlight the need for prevention efforts. This research also shows that many students may be unaware that a JUUL contains chemicals and nicotine.
Take Away: With use of electronic cigarettes on the rise among college students, a study took a faster approach than traditional research and collected data at universities during freshman orientation sessions. This data showed that 13.7% of the incoming students used a JUUL product daily.
Bourdon, J.L., Hancock, L.C. (2019). Using electronic audience response technology to track e-cigarette habits among college freshman. Addictive Behaviors. 95 (24-27). doi.org/10.016/j.addbeh.2019.02.019.