14.9 percent of U.S. adults had ever used an e-cigarette in 2018

(HealthDay)—In 2018, 14.9 percent of U.S. adults had ever used an electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) and 3.2 percent were current users, according to an April data brief published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics.

Maria A. Villarroel, Ph.D., from the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Maryland, and colleagues examined e-cigarette use among U.S. adults aged 18 years and older by selected sociodemographic characteristics using data from the National Health Interview Survey.

The researchers found that 14.9 percent of adults had ever used an e-cigarette in 2018 and 3.2 percent were current e-cigarette users. The highest prevalence of adults who had ever used an e-cigarette and were current users was seen among men, non-Hispanic white adults, and those aged 18 to 24 years. On stratification by smoking status, adults who quit smoking cigarettes within the past year were the most likely to have ever used and be current users of e-cigarettes (57.3 and 25.2 percent, respectively).

"The percentage of adults who had ever used an e-cigarette was highest among those who were poor, and decreased as income increased," the authors write. "The percentages who had ever used an e-cigarette or who were current e-cigarette users declined among former smokers who had gone longer without smoking cigarettes and was lowest among those who never smoked cigarettes."

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