Research & Resources

Effects of E-Cigarette Use on Alcohol and Marijuana in Ethnically Diverse Young Adults

In this study, researchers examined e-cigarette use as a prospective predictor of alcohol and marijuana use disorder symptoms in a sample consisting of Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (NHPI), Filipino, Asian (i.e., Japanese, Chinese, Korean), and White young adults. Researchers collected data from 1,463 young adults enrolled across community colleges in Hawaii at two time points 6 months apart. A higher frequency of e-cigarette use at baseline was predictive of higher alcohol and marijuana problems at 6-month follow-up. Ethnicity was found to significantly moderate the relationship between baseline e-cigarette use and problem marijuana use later, such that White and NHPI ethnicities were particularly vulnerable to the effects of e-cigarette use on problem marijuana use.
This paper, “The Effects of E-Cigarette Use on Alcohol and Marijuana Abuse Symptoms in an Ethnically Diverse Sample of Young Adults,” was funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and published in the International journal of environmental research and public health.

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