A study on vaping among teenagers in the United States indicates vaping isn’t as popular anymore during the coronavirus pandemic.
Research reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration found that in 2021, 1.7 million high school students and 320,000 middle school students used e-cigarettes, a drop of nearly 40% from the numbers recorded in 2020, according to the Associated Press.
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“Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, data were collected online to allow participation of eligible students in remote learning settings,” the study read. “Current e-cigarette use was assessed overall, by frequency of use, device type, flavors, and usual brand. Weighted prevalence estimates and population totals were calculated.”
The CDC and FDA received their research from the 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey, a school-based, cross-sectional, self-administered survey of U.S. middle school (grades 6–8) and high school (grades 9–12) students. The survey was conducted from Jan. 18 through May 21, with 20,413 students from 279 schools in total as respondents.
The report found 11.3% of high school students and 2.8% of middle school students reported using e-cigarettes. 2020’s research reported that nearly 20% of high school students and 5% of middle schoolers said they vaped.
The 2021 NYTS was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, and students could participate in the survey in classrooms or at home. The CDC and FDA state that differences in tobacco use estimates might be different this year due to underreporting of tobacco use behaviors or other characteristics among students participating in the survey outside of the classroom.
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Nancy Rigotti of Harvard University, who did not participate in the research, said the decline will have to be confirmed by other surveys later this year. She also warned vaping could rebound this year, as most schools have returned to in-person classes.
“I’m sure schools are working hard to ensure that doesn’t happen,” she said.
