UKECRF Research Roundup
The UKECRF has released its research roundup covering the month of October
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by Dave Cross
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Remarkably, despite the vast list at the foot of this article, the UKECRF points out that the reading list doesn’t cover every e-cigarette-related study published this month. It marks an amazing transition from the early days of vaping, when experts could legitimately claim “we don’t know enough about it”.
Instead, the UKECRF [link] focusses solely on the high profile studies most relevant to key themes; including efficacy and safety, smoking cessation, population level impact and marketing.
1. Electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation – [link]
The update from Cochrane covered 50 studies and 12,430 adults, looking at vaping’s safety and efficacy. Planet of the Vapes covered the release of the paper [link].
UKECRF said: “The majority of studies were either from the US or the UK. Therefore, the findings may not be applicable to the environment in other countries. Half of the studies included used cartridge devices, 18 used refillable devices and none used pods. Therefore, the studies included may not reflect the devices now most commonly used.”
2. Young people’s use of e-cigarettes in Wales, England and Scotland before the introduction of the EU Tobacco Products Directive regulations: a mixed-method natural experimental evaluation – [link]
The research team looked at the impact of the TPD on teen vaping and found that ecig experimentation appeared to be plateauing. They weren’t able to lay this at the feet of the legislation and suggested it may be more down to a “fad” losing its appeal.
UKECRF said: “All data was self-reported so may be subject to social desirability bias. This may be prone to change over time.”
Also, it added, not all of the data was comparable because it came from different surveys across the home nations.
3. Gateway or common liability? A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies of adolescent e-cigarette use and future smoking initiation – [link]
In this Australian study, researchers made claims they had found evidence of a ‘gateway’ from teen vaping to teen smoking based on a meta-analysis of 11 studies.
UKECRF said that There was significant variation in the data between the studies they looked at, “meaning that pooling of the data might not have been appropriate.”
Also, the research team considered papers that had conflicting definitions of what actually constituted smoking, leading to a conclusion that: “the analysis does not necessarily show an association between e-cigarette use and current or regular smoking.”
In addition:
- Publication bias was not assessed by funnel plots. Therefore, the extent to which this affected the associations is unclear.
- Data was self- reported in most studies. Therefore, the order of e-cigarette/ cigarette use could have been incorrectly reported.
- The confounding analysis only examined if certain confounders were adjusted for and did not test the quality of the methods used in studies.
Vaping and harm reduction studies this month:
Patterns of use
- Associated Changes in E-cigarette Puff Duration and Cigarettes Smoked Per Day
- Validation of an E-cigarette Purchase Task in Advanced Generation Device Users.
- Reported patterns of vaping to support long-term abstinence from smoking: a cross-sectional survey of a convenience sample of vapers.
- The Genetic and Environmental Influences Contributing to the Association between Electronic and Conventional Cigarette Initiation.
- Factors Associated with E-Cigarette Use in U.S. Young Adult Never Smokers of Conventional Cigarettes: A Machine Learning Approach.
- Pregnant women's use of e-cigarettes in the UK: a cross-sectional survey.
- Prevalence and Factors Associated with Electronic Cigarette Use Among Young Adult Cancer Survivors Using Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2016-2018.
- Gender differences in reasons for using electronic cigarettes and product characteristics: Findings from the 2018 ITC Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey.
- Changes in Smoking and Vaping over 18 Months among Smokers and Recent Ex-Smokers: Longitudinal Findings from the 2016 and 2018 ITC Four Country Smoking and Vaping Surveys.
- Cigarette smoking and E-cigarette use among young adults in the United States: Findings from the 2016-18 behavioral risk factor surveillance system.
- Awareness, knowledge and perception of electronic cigarettes among undergraduate students in Jazan Region, Saudi Arabia.
- Trends in E-Cigarette Use by Age Group and Combustible Cigarette Smoking Histories, U.S. Adults, 2014-2018.
- E-cigarette use among young adults in Poland: Prevalence and characteristics of e-cigarette users.
- Relations among cigarette dependence, e-cigarette dependence, and key dependence criteria among dual users of combustible and e-cigarettes.
- Prospective associations of e-cigarette use with cigarette, alcohol, marijuana, and nonmedical prescription drug use among US adolescents.
- E-cigarette Use Among Middle and High School Students - United States, 2020.
- Changes in adults' vaping and smoking behaviours associated with aerosol-free laws.
- Perceptions and Experiences of Vaping Among Youth and Young Adult E-Cigarette Users: Considering Age, Gender, and Tobacco Use.
Patterns of Use of Vaping Products Among Smokers: Findings from the 2016-2018 International Tobacco Control (ITC) New Zealand Surveys. - Systematic review of electronic cigarette use (vaping) and mental health comorbidity among adolescents and young adults.
- Awareness and use of e-cigarettes among university students in Shanghai, China.
- Association between e-cigarette use and sleep deprivation in U.S. Young adults: Results from the 2017 and 2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.
Gateway or common liability? A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies of adolescent e-cigarette use and future smoking initiation. - Potential risk factors for cigarette use among a sample of college JUUL users.
- E-cigarette sharing behavior among college students: An exploratory study.
- A Longitudinal Analysis of Nicotine Dependence and Transitions From Dual Use of Cigarettes and Electronic Cigarettes: Evidence From Waves 1-3 of the PATH Study.
- Association Between E-cigarette Use and Depression in US Adults.
- Worry and e-cigarette cognition: The moderating role of sex.
- Young adult e-cigarette use: A latent class analysis of device and flavor use, 2018-2019.
- Changes in knowledge, perceptions and use of JUUL among a cohort of young adults.
Cannabis use and the onset of cigarette and e-cigarette use: A prospective, longitudinal study among youth in the United States. - Association between electronic cigarette use and metabolic syndrome in the Korean general population: A nationwide population-based study.
- Use of Cigarettes and E-Cigarettes/Vaping Among Transgender People: Results From the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey.
- Associations of home and workplace vaping restrictions with e-cigarette use among U.S. adults.
Perceptions
- Harsh and sweet sensations predict acute liking of electronic cigarettes, but flavor does not affect acute nicotine intake: a pilot laboratory study in men
- Assessing young adults' ENDS use via Ecological Momentary Assessment and a Smart Bluetooth enabled ENDS device
- Reasons for stopping e-cigarette use among smokers: findings from the 2018 ITC New Zealand Survey
- E-Cigarette Use and Perceptions Among Veterans Receiving Outpatient Treatment in Veterans Affairs Substance Use and Mental Health Clinics.
- From the Deeming Rule to JUUL-US News Coverage of Electronic Cigarettes, 2015-2018.
- Perception of the relative harm of electronic cigarettes compared to cigarettes amongst US adults from 2013 to 2016: analysis of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study data.
- Aerosol, vapor, or chemicals? College student perceptions of harm from electronic cigarettes and support for a tobacco-free campus policy.
- Vape shop owners'/managers' attitudes about CBD, THC, and marijuana legal markets.
- Sources of awareness, perceptions, and use of JUUL e-cigarettes among adult cigarette smokers.
Cessation
- A qualitative study of the views about smoking, licensed cessation aids and e-cigarettes in people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders
- The Association of E-cigarette Flavors With Satisfaction, Enjoyment, and Trying to Quit or Stay Abstinent From Smoking Among Regular Adult Vapers From Canada and the United States: Findings From the 2018 ITC Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey
- Is vaping cessation like smoking cessation? A qualitative study exploring the responses of youth and young adults who vape e-cigarettes.
- Smoking cessation among US adults: use of e-cigarettes, including JUUL, and NRT use.
- Patterns of e-cigarette use and subsequent cigarette smoking cessation over two years (2013/2014 to 2015/2016) in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study.
- Effectiveness of Electronic Cigarettes in Smoking Cessation: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
- Role of e-cigarettes and pharmacotherapy during attempts to quit cigarette smoking: The PATH Study 2013-16.
- A Randomized Clinical Trial Examining the Effects of Instructions for Electronic Cigarette Use on Smoking-Related Behaviors and Biomarkers of Exposure.
Youth
- "Can I hit that?" Vaping knowledge, attitudes and practices of college students
- Associations Between Family and Peer E-Cigarette Use with Adolescent Tobacco and Marijuana Usage: A Longitudinal Path Analytic Approach
- Convenience Store Access and E-cigarette Advertising Exposure Is Associated With Future E-cigarette Initiation Among Tobacco-Naïve Youth in the PATH Study (2013-2016).
- Vaping while high: Factors associated with vaping marijuana among youth in the United States.
- Young people's use of e-cigarettes in Wales, England and Scotland before and after introduction of EU Tobacco Products Directive regulations: a mixed-method natural experimental evaluation.
Harms and harm reduction
- Cellular effects of nicotine salt-containing e-liquids
- Indoor Air Quality and Passive E-cigarette Aerosol Exposures in Vape-Shops.
- Deposition of E-cigarette Aerosol in Human Airways through Passive Vaping.
- Nicotine, Cotinine, and Tobacco-Specific Nitrosamines Measured in Children's Silicone Wristbands in Relation to Secondhand Smoke and E-cigarette Vapor Exposure.
- Evaluation of Respiratory Symptoms Among Youth e-Cigarette Users.
- Use of e-Cigarettes and Development of Respiratory Conditions in Women of Childbearing Age.
- Electronic cigarettes cause alteration in cardiac structure and function in diet-induced obese mice.
- E-cigarette constituents propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine decrease glucose uptake and its metabolism in airway epithelial cells in vitro.
- Use of E-Cigarettes and Self-Reported Lung Disease Among US Adults.
- Electronic cigarettes may not be a "safer alternative" of conventional cigarettes during pregnancy: evidence from the nationally representative PRAMS data.
- Impact of Atomizer Age and Flavor on In Vitro Toxicity of Aerosols from a Third-Generation Electronic Cigarette against Human Oral Cells.
- Comparative analysis of the impact of e-cigarette vapor and cigarette smoke on human gingival fibroblasts.
- Elevated Cellular Oxidative Stress in Circulating Immune Cells in Otherwise Healthy Young People Who Use Electronic Cigarettes in a Cross-Sectional Single-Center Study: Implications for Future Cardiovascular Risk.
- Chronic electronic cigarette use elicits molecular changes related to pulmonary pathogenesis.
- Electronic Nicotine Delivery System Aerosol-induced Cell Death and Dysfunction in Macrophages and Lung Epithelial Cells.
- Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use and frequency of asthma symptoms in adult asthmatics in California.
- Prenatal Exposure to E-Cigarette Aerosols Leads to Sex-dependent Pulmonary Extracellular Matrix Remodeling and Myogenesis in Offspring Mice.
- The Effects of E-Cigarette Vapor Components on the Morphology and Function of the Male and Female Reproductive Systems: A Systematic Review.
- Electronic-Cigarette Vehicles and Flavoring Affect Lung Function and Immune Responses in a Murine Model.
Marketing
- Cartoon Images on E-juice Labels: A Descriptive Analysis.
- Objective Facts or Misleading Hype? Associations between Features of E-Cigarette Marketing and Sales on a Chinese E-Commerce Platform.
- Exposure to e-cigarette advertising, attitudes, and use susceptibility in adolescents who had never used e-cigarettes or cigarettes.
- Investigating the Attitudes of Adolescents and Young Adults Towards JUUL: Computational Study Using Twitter Data.
Misc
- Implications of electronic cigarette use for depressive mood: A nationwide cross-sectional study.
- Emotion dysregulation, fatigue, and electronic cigarette expectancies.
- A systematic review of refillable e-liquid nicotine content accuracy.
- Effect of free-base and protonated nicotine on nicotine yield from electronic cigarettes with varying power and liquid vehicle.
- E-cigarette Unit Sales, by Product and Flavor Type - United States, 2014-2020.
- Impacts of COVID-19 on Electronic Cigarette Purchasing, Use and Related Behaviors.
- Rethink Vape: Development and evaluation of a risk communication campaign to prevent youth E-cigarette use.
- Influence of battery power setting on carbonyl emissions from electronic cigarettes.
- Investigation on the antibacterial activity of electronic cigarette liquids (ECLs): a proof of concept study.
- A quasi-experimental test of a virtual reality game prototype for adolescent E-Cigarette prevention.
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
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