Comparing American college and noncollege young adults on e-cigarette use patterns including polysubstance use and reasons for using e-cigarettes
Journal
Journal of American College Health
Journal Volume
68
Journal Issue
6
Pages
610–616
Date Issued
2020-08-17
Author(s)
Abstract
Objective: Existing literature on young adults’ e-cigarette and polysubstance use focused on college students. This study examined the differences between college and noncollege groups on prevalence and patterns of e-cigarette and other substance use using data from a national survey. Participants: Adults aged 18–24 from the 2013–2014 Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study (n = 6,608). Methods: Independent sample t-tests and Chi-square tests were conducted to examine group differences. Results: Noncollege young adults had higher prevalence of cigarette, e-cigarette, and marijuana use; college students had higher prevalence of alcohol use. Among current e-cigarette users, college students had higher prevalence of polysubstance use of alcohol and marijuana. College students used e-cigarettes for socializing purposes more. Conclusions: Differences in prevalence and patterns of e-cigarette and other substance use between college and noncollege groups exist. Future interventions should target the social context of college life and reach out to noncollege young adults in workplaces.
Subjects
alcohol | cigarette | college | e-cigarette | marijuana | noncollege
SDGs
Publisher
Routledge
Type
journal article