No surprise: Vaping linked to asthma risk in adolescents

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Texas A&M University School of Public Health in College Station has released a new study that suggests a link between vaping and an increased risk of asthma in adolescents who have never smoked conventional tobacco products.

Vaping, or the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), among adolescents has grown dramatically over the past several years. Although e-cigarettes have fewer toxins than regular cigarettes, they still contain a mixture of harmful chemicals and raise the risk of respiratory diseases.

“Increasing knowledge about the harmful effects of e-cigarette use, implementing stricter regulations and promoting alternative coping mechanisms for mental health are potential interventions to mitigate e-cigarette use,” said Dr. Taehyun Roh, PhD, lead author of the study and assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics Texas A&M University School of Public Health Department.

According to the survey-based study, researchers analyzed data from adolescents to determine whether there is an association between vaping and asthma and to identify factors leading to e-cigarette use in that population.

Using statistics from the CDC’s national health dataset, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, the data collected between 2015 and 2019 was gathered on more than 3,000 adolescents aged 13 to 17 in Texas and more than 32,000 adolescents in the United States for comparison.

Respondents were asked whether they had ever used an e-cigarette, how many days during the previous 30-day period they had used one, and whether they had ever been told they had asthma by a health care professional. The study included information on respondent gender, age, race and ethnicity, body mass index (BMI) and presence of depression symptoms. The analysis also included data on the use of other substances, such as conventional cigarettes, alcohol and illicit drugs.

Results suggested vaping increases the risk of asthma independently from conventional tobacco product use in adolescents.

Also helpful was the evidence researchers found identifying some demographic factors and behaviors to substance use, depressive symptoms and e-cigarette use. According to the study, adolescents who used conventional cigarettes, alcohol and other substances were more likely to use e-cigarettes, as were subjects with depression.

Of note was the additional results revealing Hispanic adolescents in Texas were significantly less likely to have used e-cigarettes than their non-Hispanic White peers. However, the researchers found no notable differences between racial and ethnic groups for the U.S. overall. The study’s authors suggested more research is needed to identify factors that could be associated with lower e-cigarette use among Hispanic adolescents in Texas.

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