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 the user inhales. The aerosol produced by e-cigarettes contains toxic substances that can cause cancer and serious lung disease. Use of e-cigarettes is associated with increased odds of developing respiratory symptoms or wheezing and respiratory disease, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma. 

E-cigarettes are typically used to deliver the highly addictive compound nicotine or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active component of cannabis, and may contain flavorings and other additives. Nicotine is known to be harmful to pregnant people and their developing babies and has also been found to affect brain development in children and adolescents negatively. E-cigarettes have become increasingly popular over the past decade, especially among youth. Multiple studies have found that using e-cigarettes in adolescence is a strong predictor of subsequent cigarette use. 

According to America’s Health Rankings analysis, the prevalence of e-cigarette use is higher among:

• Women ages 18-24 compared with those ages 25-34 and 35-44; the prevalence is lower with each older age group. 
• Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and multiracial women compared with Hispanic women.
• Women who did not graduate from college compared with those who did.
• Women with household incomes less than $75,000 compared with those with incomes of $75,000 or more. 
• Women living in nonmetropolitan areas compared with women living in metropolitan areas. 
• Women with an independent living difficulty, who have a prevalence nearly three times higher than women without a disability. 
• LGBQ+ women compared with straight women. 
• Women who have served in the U.S. armed forces compared with women who have not served. 

Regulations and policies to prevent e-cigarette-related harms include: 

• Restricting flavors, including menthol, in all e-cigarette products.
• Restricting the concentration of nicotine products.
• Regulating e-cigarette companies directly by increasing taxes on and limiting the density of e-cigarette distributors.
• Restricting e-cigarette advertisements online and on social media platforms such as YouTube, Tiktok and Instagram, particularly ads targeting youth.
• Reporting on and assessing lung injuries caused by e-cigarette use.

The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends internet-based interventions to help adults quit smoking. Internet-based tobacco cessation interventions provide information, coaching and social support to individuals interested in quitting. Internet content can be tailored to meet the specific needs of communities. Interventions may also include text messaging, phone calls and medications. CDC’s Vaping and Quitting, the American Lung Association and the Truth Initiative provide resources to find internet-based interventions and support.

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

Healthy People 2030 has several tobacco-related objectives, including reducing current tobacco use among adults and reducing e-cigarette use among adolescents.

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.

Jamal, Ahmed, Eunice Park-Lee, Jan Birdsey, Andrenita West, Monica Cornelius, Maria R. Cooper, Hannah Cowan, et al. “Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students — National Youth Tobacco Survey, United States, 2024.” MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 73, no. 41 (October 17, 2024): 917–24. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7341a2.

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.