Disparities in E-Cigarette Harm and Addiction Perceptions Among Adolescents in the United States: a Systematic Review of the Literature
Abstract
Background: Health disparities associated with e-cigarette use are increasingly apparent among US adolescents. Perceptions of e-cigarette harm and addiction play an important role in understanding adolescents’ e-cigarette use behavior. The objective of this systematic review is to examine racial/ethnic and socio-economic disparities in e-cigarette harm and addiction perceptions among US adolescents. Methods: We searched five databases to identify cross-sectional or longitudinal studies that focused on adolescents (≤ 18 years of age) who were ever, current, or never e-cigarettes users; we then examined how race/ethnicity and/or socio-economic status (SES) impacted e-cigarette harm and/or addiction perceptions. Two co-authors independently identified relevant studies, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias. Results: Adhering to PRISMA guidelines, eight of 226 identified studies met the inclusion criteria. These eight studies examined either perceptions regarding absolute e-cigarette harm and/or addiction (i.e., assessing perception of only e-cigarette) or relative e-cigarette harm and/or addiction (i.e., comparative perceptions to traditional cigarettes) by race and ethnicity. Two of the eight studies assessed absolute harm and/or addiction perceptions of e-cigarettes by SES. Our results indicate that, compared to all other racial/ethnic groups, relative e-cigarette harm and addiction perceptions were lower among Non-Hispanic White adolescents; however, absolute e-cigarette harm perception was higher among these groups. No clear patterns of racial/ethnic differences in absolute e-cigarette addiction perceptions and SES differences in absolute e-cigarette harm perceptions were reported. Conclusion: More research is needed to explicitly assess perceptions of e-cigarette harm and addiction among US adolescents by race/ethnicity and SES to develop subgroup appropriate public health messaging.
Publication Title
Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities
Recommended Citation
Ahuja, N., Kedia, S., Regmi, S., & Dillon, P. (2023). Disparities in E-Cigarette Harm and Addiction Perceptions Among Adolescents in the United States: a Systematic Review of the Literature. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-023-01553-1
