Association of vaping with respiratory symptoms in U.S. young adults: Nicotine, cannabis, and dual vaping

Introduction: Although studies have found nicotine and cannabis vaping to be individually associated with respiratory symptoms, little is known about the harm of dual vaping. We aim to assess the association of nicotine-only, cannabis-only, and dual vaping with respiratory symptoms.

Methods: Using a national sample of 8033 U.S. young adults (ages 18-24) interviewed in 2021, we employed multivariable logistic regressions to assess the association between vaping behaviors and past 12-month respiratory outcomes.

Results: Of all participants, 75.4 % did not vape, 15.0 % vaped nicotine only, 4.7 % vaped cannabis only, and 4.9 % vaped both. Compared with no vaping, nicotine-only vaping was associated with sounding wheezy (aPR = 1.75, 95 % CI, 1.28-2.39) and dry cough at night (aPR = 1.43, 95 % CI, 1.19-1.72). Cannabis-only vaping was also associated with these two symptoms, with aPRs at 1.82 (95 % CI, 1.15-2.88) and 1.61 (95 % CI, 1.18-2.21), respectively. In addition to these two symptoms (aPR = 2.24, 95 % CI, 1.42-3.54 for sounding wheezy, and aPR = 1.50, 95 % CI, 1.01-2.22 for dry cough at night), dual vaping was associated with wheezing or whistling (aPR = 1.93, 95 % CI, 1.23-3.04) and high level of respiratory symptoms (aPR = 2.02, 95 % CI, 1.24-3.32). Compared with non-frequent vaping, cannabis-only and dual frequent vaping were associated with higher risks of wheezing or whistling.

Conclusions: Nicotine-only and cannabis-only vaping were associated with two respiratory symptoms while dual vaping with four. The elevated respiratory risk of dual vaping warrants future research on the underlying mechanisms of different vaping behaviors and respiratory outcomes.