E-cigarette Use - Women

E-cigarette Use - Women in United States

United States

Electronic cigarettes, also called e-cigarettes, vapes or vape pens, are electronic devices that use heat to make an aerosol that is inhaled by the user. E-cigarettes are typically used to deliver the addictive compounds nicotine or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active component of cannabis. Nicotine is harmful to pregnant women and their developing babies, and has also been found to negatively affect brain development in children and adolescents. E-cigarettes may contain other additives such as small particles that can go deep into lungs, cancer-causing chemicals and flavoring chemicals that are linked to lung disease and injury. A 2019 study discovered that e-cigarette use is associated with respiratory diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma.  

In recent years e-cigarettes have become more popular, especially among youth. A recent study showed e-cigarette use in adolescence as a strong predictor of regular cigarette use in adulthood.

The prevalence of e-cigarette use is higher among:

• Women ages 18-24 compared with those ages 25-44; the prevalence decreases with each increase in age group. 
• Non-Hispanic white and American Indian/Alaska Native women, who have a prevalence more than double that of non-Hispanic Black women, Asian women or Hispanic women.
• Women with less than a college degree compared with those with a college degree; college graduates have the lowest prevalence.
• Women with an annual household income less than $25,000, who have a prevalence one and a half times higher than those with incomes of $75,000 or more.

States have implemented policies to prevent e-cigarette-related harms, including: 

• Imposing legal product limits on flavoring and nicotine concentration levels.
• Promoting and enforcing laws against indoor use of tobacco products, with updates for e-cigarettes.
• Restricting e-cigarette advertisements online and on social media such as YouTube, Twitter and Instagram, particularly ads targeting youth.

Studies show mixed results on whether e-cigarettes are effective in smoking cessation. For this reason, the Food and Drug Administration does not recommend e-cigarettes as a method to quit smoking.

Healthy People 2030 has several tobacco-related objectives, including reducing e-cigarette use.

Bhatta, Dharma N., and Stanton A. Glantz. “Association of E-Cigarette Use With Respiratory Disease Among Adults: A Longitudinal Analysis.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 58, no. 2 (February 1, 2020): 182–90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2019.07.028.

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.

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.