E-cigarette use among U.S. teenagers plummeted as many students were forced to learn from home during the pandemic, according to a new government report.
In the national survey, about 11 percent of high school students and three percent of middle school students said they were recent users of e-cigarettes and other vaping products, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found.
That's a more than 40 percent drop from last year, when nearly 20 percent of high school students and five percent of middle schoolers said they had recently vaped.
U.S. health officials urged caution in interpreting the numbers, which were collected using an online questionnaire for the first time.
But outside experts said the big decrease in electronic cigarettes use is likely real and makes sense given that young people often vape socially.
A new report found 11.3% or 1.72 million, of high school students and 2.8%, or 320,000, of middle schooler said they were recent users of e-cigarettes. This is a 43% decline from the 19.6% of high schoolers and 4.7% of middle school students who reported being users in 2020
Experts say one reason for the large decline in 2021 is that schools closures forced teens to stay home, making them less likely to try vaping (file image)
'They found a dramatic drop from last year and it's hard to imagine that doesn't represent a real decrease in use among high school and middle school students,' Dr Nancy Rigotti, a professor of medicine at Harvard University and tobacco use expert, who was not involved in the research, told the Associated Press.
The new report, published on Thursday, looked at data from the 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) from middle-school students, grades six through eight, and high school students, grades nine through 12.
The survey, conducted between January 18, 2021 and May 21, 2021, asked teens about their e-cigarette use in the past 30 days as well as frequency of use, type of device used, flavors and brands.
Results showed that 2.04 millions tweens and teens reported being current e-cigarette users.
Specifically, 11.3 percent, or 1.72 million, of high school students were users as were 2.8 percent, or 320,000, of middle schoolers.
That represents a 43 percent decline from teenagers who reported similar use in 2020 with 19.6 percent of high school students (3.02 million) and 4.7 percent of middle school students (550,000) being users.
If this year's numbers - which are preliminary - hold up, it would be the second big drop in a row, from a peak of 28for high schoolers in 2019.
Even before the pandemic, a number of new restrictions were curtailing underage use of e-cigarettes.
In late 2019, a new federal law raised the purchase age for all tobacco and vaping products from 18 to 21.
Shortly afterward, the FDA banned nearly all flavors from small, cartridge-based e-cigarettes, which first sparked the teen vaping craze.
For months, tobacco experts have speculated about the potential effect of school closures on vaping, given most teens vape with their friends and get e-cigarettes from their peers.
Rigotti said the decline will have to be confirmed by other surveys due out later this year.
It's also hard to predict whether vaping could rebound now that most schools have returned to in-person classes.
'I'm sure schools are working hard to ensure that doesn't happen,' she said.
Previously, the survey was always conducted in classrooms. This year's was done online from January through May to accommodate students both at home and in school.
Anti-tobacco advocates point out that students who completed the survey in school reported higher rates of vaping - 16 percent compared to eight percent for students learning at home.
Among students who used e-cigarettes, the survey found 27.6 percent of high schoolers - more than one in four - and 8.3 percent of middle schoolers - one in 12 - use them daily.
The overwhelming majority - 84.7 percent of middle and high schoolers - said they use flavored cigarettes.
The most commonly used flavors were fruit; candy, desserts, or other sweets; mint; and menthol.
'These data highlight the fact that flavored e-cigarettes are still extremely popular with kid,' said Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products, in a statement.
'And we are equally disturbed by the quarter of high school students who use e-cigarettes and say they vape every single day.
'The FDA continues to take action against those who sell or target e-cigarettes and e-liquids to kids, as seen just this year by the denial of more than one million premarket
The agency is in the midst of a sweeping federal review to decide which e-cigarette brands and products can stay on the market, after years of regulatory delays.
Earlier this month, the agency announced a ban on thousands of products, but it has not yet ruled on a handful of major manufacturers that account for most sales, including Juul and Vuse.
The new government numbers show teen vaping habits are shifting away from those brands.
The top brand cited by high schools students is a disposable e-cigarette called Puff Bar that comes in flavors like pink lemonade, strawberry and mango.
Disposable e-cigarettes are not subject to the tight flavor restrictions of products like Juul, which is only available in menthol and tobacco.
Only six percent of students who vape said they prefer Juul.
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