Trends in frequency of e-cigarette use among cancer patients and survivors in the United States, 2014-2018

Introduction: Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have become increasingly popular in the United States, including among cancer survivors; however, the majority of prior studies do not report frequency of active e-cigarette usage.

Methods: Using data from the National Health Interview Survey (2014-2018), frequency of active e-cigarette usage was estimated among cancer survivors reporting history of e-cigarette usage. Multivariable logistic regression analyses defined adjusted odds of active e-cigarette usage (either every day and some days vs. not at all) by year of survey and baseline demographic characteristics.

Results: Among 1529 cancer survivors who reported ever using e-cigarettes, 1172 (76.7%) were not active users, while 145 (9.5%) and 212 (13.9%) actively used e-cigarettes every day or some days, respectively. Later year of survey was negatively associated with active e-cigarette usage (p < 0.001) as was Black race (as compared to white race, AOR 0.47, p = 0.02). Age 45-54 was positively associated with active usage (as compared to 18-34 years, AOR 1.58, p = 0.02). Notably, individuals who were former or current traditional cigarette smokers had greater odds of reporting active e-cigarette use (27.0%, AOR 4.39, p < 0.001, 23.4%, AOR 3.28, p = 0.002, respectively) as compared to never traditional cigarette smokers (7.6%).

Conclusions: The majority of cancer survivors who have ever used e-cigarettes do not appear to be actively using them. Rather, our findings suggest that the reported increasing popularity of e-cigarettes may be driven by a growing absolute proportion of individuals trying e-cigarettes over time. Those who were current or former traditional cigarette smokers were more likely to actively use e-cigarettes. Our findings can help inform current policies on e-cigarettes and contextualize studies on long-term effects of e-cigarettes among survivors of cancer.