American adolescents who tried to stop using e-cigarettes in 2021 most commonly did so without assistance, a study shows, cessation methods varied according to the vaping patterns of the user. “For adolescents who did seek assistance, they used peer and parental support more than doctors or health care providers,” the authors conclude. “Adoption of different vaping cessation methods was associated with demographic factors and vaping behaviors.”
Data from the 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey were used to identify quit attempts among 1,436 current (past 30-day) e-cigarette users over the prior 12 months, 889 (67.9%) of whom had made a past-year quit attempt, report the authors. “Of those, 575 (63.7%) (weighted N = 810,000) reported they did not use any resources (unassisted quitting). Peer support (14.2%), help on the Internet (6.4%), a mobile app or text messaging (5.9%), and parent support (5.8%) were the top 4 cessation methods. Female (versus male) vapers were less likely to solicit parent support (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.2; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.1–0.5), whereas Hispanic (versus White) vapers were more likely to seek friend support (AOR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.1–3.9) and parent support (AOR, 2.7, 95% CI, 1.2–6.3). Those who perceived vaping to be harmful were less likely to get friend support, but more likely to use a mobile app or text messaging program. Dual users of e-cigarettes and any other tobacco product were more likely to get help from a teacher/coach or a doctor/health care provider and treatment from medical facilities than sole e-cigarette users.”