Motives for using electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) as a cessation tool are associated with tobacco abstinence at 1-year follow-up: A prospective investigation among young adults in the United States Air Force

• Published in: Preventive medicine reports 2023-10, Vol.35, p.102399, Article 102399
• Main Authors: Aycock, Chase A., Wang, Xin-Qun, Williams, Juinell B., Fahey, Margaret C., Talcott, G. Wayne, Klesges, Robert C., Little, Melissa A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: E-cigarettes; Electronic nicotine delivery systems; Harm reduction; Short Communication; Tobacco cessation; U.S. Military; Young adults
• ISSN: 2211-3355; 2211-3355
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2023.102399

Smokers use electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), including e-cigarettes, as a harm reduction strategy even though the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved them for tobacco cessation. The limited literature about ENDS use for cigarette cessation is concerning for the U.S. military, which is largely comprised of young adults at increased risk for tobacco use. Thus, the current study aims to evaluate use of ENDS products as a cessation tool in relation to point-prevalence tobacco abstinence at one-year follow-up in a cohort of 8,901 U.S. Air Force personnel attending entry-level job training from March 2016 to April 2019. A propensity-score adjusted multinomial logistic regression model was used to assess the association between the baseline motives for ENDS use (i.e., for cigarette cessation versus alternative reasons) and tobacco use at the one-year follow-up (cigarette use, non-cigarette tobacco product use, and tobacco abstinence) among those reporting history of cigarette use at baseline. Smokers reporting ENDS use for cigarette cessation were more likely to be abstinent at one-year follow-up (Odds Ratio[OR] = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.06–2.49, P =.03) as well as quit using non-cigarette tobacco products (OR = 2.11, 95% CI: 1.65–2.70, P