E-Cigarette Use Is Associated With Intentions to Lose Weight Among High School Students

Introduction: Recent literature has demonstrated individuals may be using electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) as a method of weight loss and/or management. Furthermore, e-cigarette companies are developing and patenting technologies related to e-cigarettes and weight loss. This study aims to determine the association between intentions to lose weight and e-cigarette use behaviors among a nationally representative sample of high school students.

Methods: Data were obtained from the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance survey. Participants were 12 847 students in grades 9-12 in the United States. Multivariate multinomial logistic regression models assessed the association between past 30-day e-cigarette use and weight loss intentions among 9-12 grade students. Subsample analyses were conducted, stratified by sex. Covariates included perceived weight, sex, race/ethnicity, grade, and past 30-day tobacco use.

Results: Overall, 23.7% of the sample used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days. E-cigarette use was associated with 1.38 (95% CI = 1.07% to 1.78%) greater risk of intentions to lose weight among the full sample, controlling for covariates. Among girls, e-cigarette use was associated with 1.44 (95% CI = 1.05% to 1.97%) greater risk of intentions to lose weight, controlling for covariates. Among boys, e-cigarette use was associated with 1.40 (95% CI = 1.04% to 1.88%) greater odds of intentions to gain weight, controlling for covariates.

Conclusion: Findings show a significant association between e-cigarette use and intentions to lose weight among high school students, among the full sample. Interestingly, e-cigarette use was statistically associated with intentions to gain weight among boys. Longitudinal study is needed to further examine this relationship.

Implications and contribution: This is the one of the first studies reporting on e-cigarette use and weight loss intentions among adolescents, both highly prevalent among this population. These findings are an important development in the study of e-cigarette use given the established link between conventional cigarette smoking and weight loss and/or management.