Study Finds Adults Like Flavored Vape Products as Much as Teens Do
A new study found that adults enjoy sweet flavored vaping products just as much as teens, adding to the debate around flavor restrictions.
According to American medical news, on February 6, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began enforcing a previously announced policy regarding unauthorized flavored e-cigarette products, aimed at addressing the current epidemic of e-cigarette use among teenagers.<\/span><\/div>
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A new study from Pennsylvania State University found that adults enjoy flavored e-cigarettes just as much as teenagers do, indicating that this policy may also impact adults.<\/span><\/div>
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The research team studied a group of long-term adult e-cigarette users' changing flavor preferences and found that over time, their preferences for traditional tobacco, menthol, and mint flavors decreased, while their preferences for chocolate, candy, and other sweet flavors increased.<\/span><\/div>
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The lead author of the study, Dr. Dufeng, an associate professor of medicine and public health sciences at Penn State College of Medicine, stated: "Our data shows that flavors are popular not only among young people but also among adults." The study was also published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
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"Many participants in our study reported using e-cigarettes as a means to quit smoking or avoid relapse to cigarette use, and these flavored e-cigarettes may be part of the reason they are willing to use e-cigarettes long-term," Dr. Dufeng added.<\/span><\/div>
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Researchers analyzed reports from 383 adult e-cigarette users aged 22 to 75, who completed an online e-cigarette survey from 2012 to 2014 and a follow-up survey between 2017 and 2019.<\/span><\/div>
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In both surveys, participants were asked to list their preferred e-liquid flavors.<\/span><\/div>
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Preferences for fruit flavors remained stable, while preferences for tobacco, menthol, or mint flavors decreased from 40% at baseline to 22% in follow-up. Among young people aged 18 to 45, the preference for chocolate, candy, and other sweet flavors was most pronounced, increasing from 16% at baseline to 29% in follow-up.<\/span><\/div>
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In the follow-up survey, researchers asked participants to describe their reactions to the FDA's new regulations. About 50% indicated that if their preferred non-tobacco flavors were banned, they would seek other purchasing methods or add flavorings themselves.<\/span><\/div>
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Dr. Jonathan Foulds, a professor of public health sciences at the College of Medicine, believes that most participants in this study used traditional e-cigarettes, and these users could continue to purchase bottled flavored e-liquids from e-cigarette shops.<\/span><\/div>
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Consumers can also purchase disposable flavored e-cigarettes, but it remains unclear whether these products will be banned after May. May 12 is the deadline for e-cigarette manufacturers to submit PMTA (Pre-Market Tobacco Application) to the FDA.<\/span><\/div>
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Members of the Pennsylvania Cancer Institute commented that restricting all non-tobacco e-cigarette flavors may help prevent non-users, especially teenagers, from starting to use e-cigarettes.<\/span><\/div>
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However, it is worth noting that teenagers or adults can still access different flavors through other means, such as online video tutorials that demonstrate how to add flavorings or make their own flavored e-liquids, which may make it easier for users to obtain unregulated products from the market.<\/span><\/div>
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Dr. Dufeng stated that using unauthorized additives or purchasing products from unknown sources on the street is very dangerous for personal health, as the chemical components of these products are unknown.<\/span><\/div>
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Additionally, about 10% of survey respondents indicated that if their preferred flavors were banned, they would consider returning to traditional cigarettes.<\/span><\/div>
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Dr. Dufeng noted that these study results may help explain earlier concerns from clinicians and researchers: many long-term users admitted that if flavored e-cigarettes were banned, they would seek illegal product sources, which could lead to unpredictable issues.<\/span><\/div>
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"We do not know the long-term impact of this new policy, but the evidence we have collected suggests that adult long-term e-cigarette users who prefer sweet flavors may seek homemade ways to obtain products that reduce their own health risks."<\/span><\/div>
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