Abstract
The use and regulation of e-cigarettes is a controversial issue, especially as their use becomes more prevelant. There is a need for current data on e-cicagrette use, particualry among young people under the age of 18. The current study explores prevalence of e-cigarettes among Irish teenagers and factors that might be associated with use. A cross-sectional, representative survey of 824 young people aged 16-17 explored e-cigarette awareness and prevalence. Atotalof23.8%of respondentshadusede-cigarettesatleastonce. Dualuse oftobaccoande-cigaretteswascommonwith 69.5%ofregularsmokersand30.4%of'ever'smokers havingtriede-cigarettes and 10.6% of current smokers using e-cigarettes regularly.4.2%ofnever smokershavetriede-cigarettes.Overall, current e-cigarette use (once a month or more) waslow(3.2%).Binarylogisticregression conducted through generalized estimating equations (GEE) determinedthat controlling for other variables,current tobaccouseand 'ever'tobacco use predicted e-cigarette use.Gender and school-level socioeconomic status were also independent predictors of e-cigarette use. E-cigarette use remains less common that tobacco use among young people in Ireland. However, young people who use tobacco are significantly more likely to have used e-cigarettes. There is a proportion of young people who have never used tobacco who have tried e-cigarettes and a small percentage of young people who do so regularly.
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