4.5 percent of U.S. adults used electronic cigarettes in 2021

In 2021, 4.5 percent of U.S. adults were electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) users, according to a July data brief published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics.

Ellen A. Kramarow, Ph.D., and Nazik Elgaddal, from the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Maryland, used data from the 2021 National Health Interview Survey to describe the percentage of adults who currently use e-cigarettes by sociodemographic characteristics. The authors also examined dual use of e-cigarettes and cigarettes.

The researchers found that 4.5 percent of adults aged 18 years and older were current e-cigarette users in 2021, with e-cigarette use highest for those aged 18 to 24 years (11.0 percent). There was variation noted in current e-cigarette use by race and Hispanic origin; the percentage of current use was higher among White non-Hispanic adults than among Asian non-Hispanic, Black or African American non-Hispanic, and Hispanic or Latino adults (5.2 percent versus 2.9, 2.4, and 3.3 percent, respectively).

Among adults aged 18 years and older, e-cigarette use generally declined with increasing family income. Dual use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes was more likely among adults aged 18 to 24 and 25 to 44 years than among adults aged 45 years and older.

"Dual use of tobacco products is a health concern because it may result in greater exposure to toxins and worse respiratory outcomes than using either product alone," the authors write.

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