Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Health

Advisor

Nicoletta Alexander

Abstract

The increased usage of e-cigarettes among adolescents in the United States (U.S.) is a major public health concern. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nicotine, an active ingredient in e-cigarettes, is the most addictive drug in use today. The purpose of the current study was to explore the relationship between smoking of e- cigarettes and the risk of smoking traditional cigarettes among middle and high school students in Grades 6 through 12 in the U.S., and to determine if demographic factors contribute to this predisposition. This, quantitative cross-sectional study used the social ecological model as the framework to guide the design. The study used secondary datasets from the 2011 National Youth Tobacco Survey with a sample size of 15,801 of U.S. middle and high school students. Chi-square and logistic regression analysis were used to determine if there was a relationship between e-cigarettes use and traditional cigarettes use. Results indicated a statistically significant relationship between e-cigarettes use and traditional cigarettes (p = .0001), and the odds of smoking traditional cigarettes is 13 times higher for those who smoke e-cigarettes (AOR = 13.384; CI = 11.04-16.263; p = .0001). The potential positive social change impact of this study is a better understanding of youth smoking behavior. This information provides further evidence that can be used towards the development of more effective intervention programs that focus specifically on middle and high school students who smoke e-cigarettes. The results of this study will help stakeholders such as local municipalities and community leaders focus more resources on low socioeconomic and at-risk neighborhoods where improvement is much needed.

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