The use of e-cigarettes has become popularized over the last several years, becoming a common addiction for some adolescents. But its usage may be just as destructive as other smoking methods, including traditional tobacco cigarettes. The study appeared in the peer-reviewed journal Addictive Behaviors.
According to researchers at Ohio State University, adolescents who use e-cigarettes are at a significantly higher risk of traditional cigarette consumption, bringing smokers back to the same destructive pattern it was intended to cease.
As part of the Buckeye Teen Health Study, Ohio State researchers probed more than 1,000 male adolescents for a span of two years.
All in all, the results led to the conclusion that adolescents who use e-cigarettes are at a nearly 3 times higher risk of traditional cigarette use, amplifying the need for restriction of vaping products among children.
“We identified two groups of young people who were equally likely to start vaping based on a number of factors, and then we compared the outcomes over the course of the study. We found that e-cigarette users were 2.7 times as likely to try smoking,” the research team stated in a news release.
“I hope that our findings provide policymakers and others stronger evidence of the connection between e-cigarette use and tobacco use and that this will lead to positive impacts on more thoughtful designs in health policy research.”
