A new study conducted by the CDC establishes a link between exposure to e-cigarette advertisements and an increase in e-cigarette use in both middle and high school students.
For the study, researchers assessed the use of e-cigarettes over the past 30-days and exposure to e-cig advertisements in retail stores, the Internet, TV/movies and print publications. They examined data from a questionnaire administered to more than 22,000 middle and high school students in 2014.
Youths who were exposed to more advertisements were more likely to use e-cigarettes.
While spending on e-cigarette advertising rose from $6.4 million in 2011 to an estimated $115 million in 2014, the use of the product among high school students also increased from 1.5 percent to 13.4 percent. For middle schoolers, the percentage moved from 0.6 percent to 3.9 percent.
"Kids should not use any type of tobacco product, including e-cigarettes," said CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD. "Exposure to e-cigarette advertising is associated with youth e-cigarette use — and that is concerning to me as CDC director, as a doctor, and as a parent."