If you suspect that more of your patients than ever are now using electronic cigarettes, it's not your imagination. Approximately 9 million American adults are now regular vapers (a common term for e-cigarette users), a recent National Health Interview Survey indicates.
So alarmed by the sharp rise in these electronic nicotine delivery devices, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared e-cigarette use an epidemic earlier this month.
Of particular concern is the prevalence of vaping among young people. The 2017 Monitoring the Future report found that nearly 10% of 8th grade students had vaped within the past year. That percentage rose to 20% for high school seniors.
Twenty-somethings, smokers of traditional cigarettes, unemployed adults, and people who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender are also more likely than other individuals to use e-cigarettes, a Johns Hopkins study of trends in electronic cigarette use noted.
In addition, the study found that people with chronic medical problems such as heart disease, cancer, asthma, and breathing disorders were more likely to vape than individuals without these common health problems.
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Cite this: Do You Ask Your Patients About Vaping? - Medscape - Sep 26, 2018.
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