Vital Signs: Exposure to Electronic Cigarette Advertising Among Middle School and High School Students United States, 2014.
INTRODUCTION Electronic cigarette (e cigarette) use has increased considerably among U.S. youths since 2011. Tobacco use among youths in any form, including e cigarettes, is unsafe. Tobacco product advertising can persuade youths to start using tobacco. CDC analyzed data from the 2014 National Youth Tobacco Survey to estimate the prevalence of e cigarette advertisement exposure among U.S. middle school and high school students. METHODS The 2014 National Youth Tobacco Survey, a school based survey of middle school and high school students in grades 6 12, included 22,007 participants. Exposure to e cigarette advertisements (categorized as "sometimes," "most of the time," or "always" was assessed for four sources: retail stores, Internet, TV and movies, and newspapers and magazines. Weighted exposure estimates were assessed overall and by school type, sex, race/ethnicity, and grade. RESULTS In 2014, 68.9% of middle and high school students (18.3 million) were exposed to e cigarette advertisements from at least one source. Among middle school students, exposure was highest for retail stores (52.8% followed by Internet (35.8% TV and movies (34.1% and newspapers and magazines (25.0% Among high school students, exposure was highest for retail stores (56.3% followed by Internet (42.9% TV and movies (38.4% and newspapers and magazines (34.6% Among middle school students, 23.4% reported exposure to e cigarette advertising from one source, 17.4% from two sources, 13.7% from three sources, and 11.9% from four sources. Among high school students, 21.1% reported exposure to e cigarette advertising from one source, 17.0% from two sources, 14.5% from three sources, and 18.2% from four sources. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE Approximately seven in 10 U.S. middle and high school students were exposed to e cigarette advertisements in 2014. Exposure to e cigarette advertisements might contribute to increased use of e cigarettes among youths. Multiple approaches are warranted to reduce youth e cigarette use and exposure to e cigarette advertisements, including efforts to reduce youth access to settings where tobacco products, such as e cigarettes, are sold, and regulation of youth oriented e cigarette marketing.
MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report