Young Californians do not recognize the dangers of Juul e-cigarettes | KQED future of you

According to a new Stanford study, young adults and teens who smoke Juul electronic cigarettes are completely unaware of the health risks associated with the popular disinfection kit.

Younger users do not recognize the potential addictive electronic cigarettes Juul, according to a study published Friday in the newspaper JAMA network open.

The researchers said they discovered a "disturbing gap" between teenagers' perceptions of their Juul consumption and their actual dependence.

This is worrisome since teens who use Juul electronic cigarettes do so more regularly than teens who use other forms of electronic cigarettes, according to Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, lead author of the study and a professor at Stanford.

In a statement, Juul said, "We are in agreement that the use of Juul in minors is totally unacceptable." She directly opposes our mission to eliminate smoking. By offering existing smokers a real alternative to combusted cigarettes, we are committed to working with those who want to keep nicotine products out of the reach of young people. "

Growing up with E-Cigs

For the first phase of the study, researchers surveyed more than 700 ninth and twelfth grade students in 2014 and 2015. Follow-up questionnaires were completed by 445 participants, who were then in grade 12 or a few more years. later. secondary school.

Participants who used e-cigarettes also completed a separate questionnaire assessing their level of nicotine addiction.

About half of the participants said they had heard of Juul, while about 16% had used it. About 30% of participants used other brands of electronic cigarettes, while about 24% of conventional cigarettes were smoked.

About two-thirds of users reported using more than one type of product. Of those who tried Juul, almost 60% reported using the product in the last 30 days.

In contrast, participants who had tried other brands of electronic cigarettes or conventional cigarettes, about 30% and 28% respectively, reported having consumed them in the last 30 days – a striking difference between Juul users and users of other tobacco products.

Researchers also found that younger users showed signs of addiction but did not report them. In other words, there was a gap between what they actually lived and their perception of the product's dependence potential.

Halpern-Felsher says the results raise serious concerns about higher dependency rates among Juul users. Especially as users have found that Juul electronic cigarettes are less harmful or addictive than the other products mentioned in the survey.

Juul electronic cigarettes account for two-thirds of the country's electronic cigarette market. According to the study, they contain more nicotine than competing brands of electronic cigarettes. Nicotine has been linked to cancer.

"The amount of nicotine in the pack and its harmful effect on nicotine is unclear," Halpern-Felsher said.

The label says that it contains five percent nicotine, but for a young, this may not seem like much, according to Halpern-Felsher.

She says that Juul products contain 59 mg of nicotine per milliliter, which is comparable to about one and a half pack of two packs of cigarettes.

Other forms of electronic cigarettes contain between 0 and about 36 mg per milliliter.

The use of e-cigarettes in teens is particularly alarming because nicotine can alter the teenager's brain, allowing the user to be calmer again. he is dependent on this substance.

Therefore, Halpern-Felsher states that the risk of addiction is higher during adolescence than if the user had started using the product in adulthood.

Public perception

Researchers attribute marketing and advertising to the gap between reality and public perception among younger users.

Juul has been heavily criticized for designing attractive electronic cigarettes for the youth market. Their products use flavored liquids containing nicotine, such as fresh mint and dessert aromas, which are inhaled from colored capsules resembling USB sticks.

The Food and Drug Administration recently launched a campaign to warn young people about health risks and stop Juul sales to young people.

Halpern-Felsher says that young people are more likely to consume flavored tobacco products. She notes that only one of the participants in the study used the ordinary tobacco flavor.

The study highlights the need for better public health campaigns highlighting the health risks of electronic cigarettes.

"Juul users are not aware of the amount of nicotine in the product," says Halpern-Felsher. "We really need to discuss the amount of nicotine in these products."

It also recommends increased regulation of electronic cigarette flavorings and how they are advertised.

"Juul needs to make a more accurate report in plain English," she says. "And so that everyone understands the amount of nicotine that it contains."