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Maryland Value:
Percentage of high school students who reported using an electronic vapor product in the past 30 days
Maryland Rank:
Additional Measures:
Appears In:
Percentage of high school students who reported using an electronic vapor product in the past 30 days
US Value: 18.0%
Top State(s): Utah: 9.7%
Bottom State(s): West Virginia: 27.5%
Definition: Percentage of high school students who reported using an electronic vapor product in the past 30 days
Data Source and Years(s): CDC, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, 2021
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of CDC, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2024.
In recent years, there has been an increase in the popularity of electronic vapor products (also known as e-cigarettes, vapes or vape pens) among youth. Electronic vapor products are electronic devices that use heat to make an aerosol that is inhaled by the user. They are typically used to deliver tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active component of cannabis, or the addictive compound nicotine. The aerosol made by e-cigarettes contains toxic substances that can cause cancer and lung disease. Nicotine has also been found to affect brain development in children and adolescents. A 2017 study found e-cigarette use in adolescence to be a strong predictor of subsequent cigarette use.
E-cigarettes pose other risks to children, teens and young adults. Both children and adults have been poisoned by coming into contact with e-cigarette liquid. Further, defective e-cigarette batteries have caused fires and explosions.
According to data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, the prevalence of current electronic vapor product use is
higher among:
The role of parents is important in preventing and reducing e-cigarette use in youth. Strategies include:
At the policy level, effective actions for addressing e-cigarette use in youth include:
Healthy People 2030 has a goal to reduce current e-cigarette use in adolescents.
England, Lucinda J., Rebecca E. Bunnell, Terry F. Pechacek, Van T. Tong, and Tim A. McAfee. “Nicotine and the Developing Human.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 49, no. 2 (August 16, 2015): 286–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2015.01.015.
McKenna, Lawrence A., Jr. “Electronic Cigarette Fires and Explosions in the United States 2009 - 2016.” USFA Topical Fire Report Series. United States Fire Administration, FEMA, July 2017. https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/electronic_cigarettes.pdf.
Oliver, Briana E., Sherry Everett Jones, Emily Devora Hops, Carmen L. Ashley, Richard Miech, and Jonetta J. Mpofu. “Electronic Vapor Product Use Among High School Students — Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States, 2021.” MMWR Supplements 72, no. 1 (April 28, 2023): 93–99. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.su7201a11.
Soneji, Samir, Jessica L. Barrington-Trimis, Thomas A. Wills, Adam M. Leventhal, Jennifer B. Unger, Laura A. Gibson, JaeWon Yang, et al. “Association Between Initial Use of E-Cigarettes and Subsequent Cigarette Smoking Among Adolescents and Young Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” JAMA Pediatrics 171, no. 8 (August 1, 2017): 788–97. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2017.1488.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “E-Cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults: A Report of the Surgeon General.” Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2016. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/e-cigarettes/pdfs/2016_sgr_entire_report_508.pdf.
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