Prevalence and risk factors of electronic cigarette use among adolescents: Data from four
Swedish municipalities
Sammanfattning
AIMS - To assess the prevalence rates and risk factors of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use,
with special focus on e-cigarettes containing nicotine, among grade 9 students (aged 15-16 years) in
four different municipalities in Sweden.
METHODS - A cross-sectional sample of 665 adolescents was collected in April 2014. The data was
analysed using binary logistic regression analysis.
RESULTS - The results show that 26% of adolescents in this study have smoked e-cigarettes (have
ever used), while 19% have smoked e-cigarettes with nicotine or do not know whether or not they
contained nicotine. The strongest risk factor for ever having used e-cigarettes (any type or with
nicotine) was smoking conventional cigarettes. Having tried cigarettes and having tried snus, as well
as using or having used alcohol and having smoked a water pipe were also statistically significant
risk factors for ever use of any type of e-cigarettes but not for use of e-cigarettes with nicotine. There
was no gender difference.
CONCLUSIONS - Our result show that the use of ecigarettes tends to cluster with the use of other
substances, such as other tobacco products and alcohol. As a relatively large share of the
participating adolescents, more than a fourth, had smoked e-cigarettes, this rather new phenomenon
requires monitoring as a part of the tobacco control.