Researchers Concerned About Increasing Number of High Schoolers Using E-Cigarettes - East Idaho News

Researchers Concerned About Increasing Number of High Schoolers Using E-Cigarettes

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Thinkstock 121514 GirlWithECigarette?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1418692810814diego_cervo/iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — A new study says that use of e-cigarettes among high school students, which has increased every year since 2010, could lead to nicotine addiction.

Researchers at the University of Hawaii surveyed nearly 2,000 high school students and found that 29 percent said they use e-cigarettes. Researchers are concerned because 17 percent of those surveyed said they use only e-cigarettes, while 12 percent say they use e-cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes. Those students who only use e-cigarettes, the study, published in the journal Pediatrics, says, may view those devices as a safer alternative. However, the presence of nicotine in e-cigarettes may make them a gateway to nicotine addiction.

Those students willing to try e-cigarettes tended to have better support at home, better grades and better behavior, researchers said. While those who said they used both e-cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes were more likely to be at greater risk of smoking risk factors, such as rebelliousness, sensation seeking, and having tobacco-smoking friends.


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