CDC Details E-Cigarette Use Among Working US Adults

An estimated 3.4% of working adults in the US use e-cigarettes, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For their estimates, the researchers used data from 30,447 responders to the 2017-2018 National Health Interview Survey. All responders were aged 18 years and older and were employed during the interview time. Overall, 3.4% (5.3 million) workers were current users, of whom approximately half also used combustible tobacco products. This is similar to the estimated 3.6% during the 2014 to 2016 period, with use prevalence especially increasing among young adults.

Current use was especially high among men, non-Hispanic Whites, individuals aged 18 to 24 years, those who did not have health insurance, those who reported poor or fair physical health, and those who also used other tobacco products. Among the various industries covered, e-cigarette use was highest in the food service and food preparation and serving industries.

“Continued surveillance of e-cigarette use in the United States, including among workers, is important to inform the development and implementation of evidence-based strategies to minimize population risks of use of e-cigarettes while continuing to explore their potential usefulness for cessation among adult cigarette smokers,” the researchers wrote.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Syamlal G, Clark KA, Blackley DJ, King BA. Prevalence of electronic cigarette use among adult workers — United States, 2017–2018. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021;70:297–303. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7009a