MONDAY, Feb. 5, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Electronic cigarette coupon advertising may encourage and sustain e-cigarette use, according to a study published online in the January issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Zongshuan Duan, Ph.D., from Georgia State University in Atlanta, and colleagues examined prospective associations between cumulative exposure to e-cigarette coupons and changes in e-cigarette use among U.S. adults. Analysis included 19,824 adults participating in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study (October 2014 [wave 2] to November 2019 [wave 5]).

The researchers found that 66.1 percent of U.S. adults never used e-cigarettes, 10.6 percent currently used e-cigarettes, and 23.4 percent formerly used e-cigarettes at wave 2. There was an association observed between receiving coupons at increased waves and greater odds of initiation (adjusted odds ratio, 1.58), lower odds of cessation (adjusted odds ratio, 0.78), and increased odds of return to use (adjusted odds ratio, 1.39). Findings were similar based on wave 2 cigarette smoking status.

“Our study found that when people were exposed to more waves of e-cigarette coupon advertising, they were more likely to initiate e-cigarette use, and it was more challenging for them to quit,” Duan said in a statement. “The effect sizes were actually quite large and meaningful given the number of people who might be exposed to this marketing strategy.”

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