Vaping among French adolescents aged 17: results from the ESCAPAD 2017 survey (n = 39 115)

• Main Authors: Sandra Chyderiotis, Stanislas Spilka Spilka, François Beck
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: European Publishing 2019-03-01
• Series: Tobacco Prevention and Cessation
• Subjects: electronic nicotine delivery systems
• Online Access: http://www.journalssystem.com/tpc/,105169,0,2.html

Introduction Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) use has spread out in France since 2010, including among adolescents. However, its use in relation to smoking and other factors is not well understood today. Methods The data used come from the ESCAPAD 2017 survey, a nationally representative cross-sectional survey taking place at a 1-day session of civic and military information compulsory for all French nationals around 17 (39 115 respondents). Descriptive analyses and multivariate regressions (Poisson with robust variance) were undertaken to describe the recent use of ENDS at 17 and it associated factors. Results ENDS were experimented by 52.4 % of 17 years old, and used by 16.8 % in the preceding month, 1,9 % daily. Most recent users were also daily smokers (62.5 %), and only 7.6 % never experimented smoking before. They were mostly boys (PR=1.39). No difference related to the parental socioeconomic status was highlighted. Recent vapers were more likely to have retaken a school year (PR=1,25) and were less likely out of school (PR=0,80). The associate uses of other products were the most striking factors: daily smoking (PR=2,73), regular alcohol drinking (PR=1,20), cannabis use in the last year (PR=1,60), ever use of hookah (PR=2,31) and ever use of another illicit drug (PR=1,11). Conclusions Those robust and representative results about vaping among French adolescents are essential to understand this trend. Although most French adolescents experiment with vaping, they are fewer to use it regularly and most of regular vapers are also daily smokers. The relationship between smoking and vaping will have to be further investigated. Funding This work was supported by the French Cancer League as part of the PETAL research program on adolescent smoking.