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Time-varying predictors of e-cigarette and cigarette use trajectories from adolescence to emerging adulthood: a longitudinal analysis of US youth in the PATH Study, 2013–2020

Cassandra A Stanton, Zhiqun Tang, Eva Sharma, Andrew Anesetti-Rothermel, Daniela Marshall, E. Park-Lee, M. Silveira, Haijun Xiao et al.

BMJ Open, 2025

Abstract

Objective To examine the longitudinal impact of time-varying factors on US youth’s trajectories of initiation and use of e-cigarettes and cigarettes during the transition from adolescence to young adulthood. Design Longitudinal. Setting Nationally representative US survey, the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study. Participants 2682 US youth (aged 16–17) at wave (W)1 of the PATH Study across six waves (2013–2020) into young adulthood (aged 22–23). Primary and secondary outcome measures Unweighted longitudinal latent class analyses identified trajectory classes of e-cigarette and cigarette use, separately. Nationally representative weighted multinomial logistic regression analyses examined time-varying harm perceptions, substance use problems and tobacco product first tried as predictors of these trajectory classes. Results Five e-cigarette classes (2013–2020; 41.5% Persistent Never Use, 12.6% W5 Initiation, 19.9% W3 Initiation, 15.2% Prior Initiation, 10.8% High Frequency Past 30-Day (P30D) Use) and five cigarette classes (2013–2019; 58.6% Persistent Never Use, 11.5% W4 Initiation, 10.9% W2 Initiation, 9.6% Prior Initiation, 9.5% High Frequency P30D Use) were identified. Time-varying harm perceptions and substance use problems were associated with trajectories of initiation and use for both products. Cigarettes, cigarillos, other combustibles and any smokeless tobacco as first product tried were associated with e-cigarette initiation and/or progression to…

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