Study: Vaping Show No Association With Increased Self-Reported Wheezing

Exclusively using electronic nicotine delivery systems was not associated with an increase of self-reported wheezing.

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However, there was a small increase in risk for those who also used cigarettes, according to the results of a study published in JAMA Network Open.

These results add to other literature about electronic nicotine delivery systems and potential health outcomes, investigators said.

Data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study, which is nationally representative of the United States, were used.

Adults were included from wave 1 in 2013 to 2014 to wave 5 in 2018 to 2019. Data were analyzed between August 2021 and January 2023.

There were 6 groups of tobacco product usage: current cigarette and current electronic nicotine delivery systems use; current cigarette and noncurrent electronic nicotine delivery systems use; current electronic nicotine delivery systems use and never cigarette; former cigarette and current electronic nicotine delivery systems use; former cigarette and noncurrent electronic nicotine delivery systems use; and never cigarette and noncurrent electronic nicotine delivery systems .

Investigators used a generalized estimating equation framework to evaluate the association among cigarette use, electronic nicotine delivery systems use, and self-reported wheezing. They also wanted to estimate the association between cigarette use and electronic nicotine delivery systems use with the association of electronic nicotine delivery systems in each of the categories of cigarette use.

There were 17,075 individuals, 51% female and 66% non-Hispanic white, included in the study.

Investigators found that the greatest association of wheezing was for current cigarette and current electronic nicotine delivery systems usage, which was similar to current cigarette and noncurrent electronic nicotine delivery systems usage.

It was also substantially greater than former cigarette and current electronic nicotine delivery systems usage.

Investigators also reported that the associations were small and not statistically significant for never having a cigarette and current electronic nicotine delivery systems use compared with users who never used a cigarette or electronic nicotine delivery systems and for the odds of wheezing and current cigarette and current electronic nicotine delivery systems use compared with current cigarette and noncurrent electronic nicotine delivery systems use.

They also found that the entire sample declined from 16.4% at wave 2 to 14.3% at wave 5, with the highest frequency at wave 2.

The prevalence of current cigarette use was stable across all 4 waves, varying from 18% to 19%. However, approximately 23% of the sample reported cigarette use of at least 1 year in waves 1 to 4.

Approximately, 6% of adults reported electronic nicotine delivery systems use at least once in the follow up, but the behavior was stable across all waves, ranging from 2.6% to 3.5%.

Investigators think that the results can help public health policy makers with recommendations for electronic nicotine delivery systems use under different tobacco product user categories.

The study had several limitations, which included self-reported data. This could lead to recall or social desirability biases.

The sample size for some of the categories could have limited the ability to determine the actual association, according to investigators.

Reference

Sánchez-Romero LM, Bondarenko I, Knoll M, Hirschtick JL, et al. Assessment of electronic nicotine delivery systems with cigarette use and self-reported wheezing in the US adult population. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(4):e236247. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.6247