College survey shows more likely to start smoking if use e-cigarettes (Journal of Public Health)
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In August 2015, the American Public Health Association’s Journal of Public Health published a study by Wake Forest School of Medicine entitled “The Impact of Trying Electronic Cigarettes on Cigarette Smoking by College Students: A Prospective Analysis.”
The study surveyed 271 first-semester college students at 7 colleges in North Carolina and 4 in Virginia. The students completed a baseline survey and 5 follow-up surveys between fall 2010 and fall 2013. The survey results found that of the students surveyed, 43.5% had tried e-cigarettes by survey wave 5. At wave 6, trying e-cigarettes was a significant predictor of cigarette smoking.
The authors found that among young adults who were smoking at baseline, e-cigarette use was associated with higher likelihood of smoking at follow-up.