2189 Content in this section does not reflect any official policy or medical opinion of the American Cancer Society or of the publisher unless otherwise noted. © American Cancer Society,… Click to show full abstract
2189 Content in this section does not reflect any official policy or medical opinion of the American Cancer Society or of the publisher unless otherwise noted. © American Cancer Society, 2017. that is inhaled by users. The devices are known as electronic or e-cigarettes. E-cigarette liquid is available in a variety of flavors that appeal to many teens and may or may not contain nicotine, and vaping is widely perceived as less harmful than traditional cigarettes. According to lead author Richard Miech, PhD, of the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, vaping has increased significantly in popularity among teens: ranking at nearly zero usage in 2011, it has become one of the most common forms of substance use among teens today. Dr. Miech notes that vaping changes teens’ perceptions of smoking risks and leads them to be less likely than nonvapers to believe that smoking is harmful. Researchers’ analysis of responses showed that e-cigarettes were one of the most popular forms of substance use among teens, with the prevalence of vaping (within the past 30 days) being approximately 50% higher than the prevalence of conventional smoking. Most of the respondents thought that cigarette smoking was harmful, with 80% in both the 2014 and follow-up surveys saying that 1 or more packs daily posed a “great risk.” However, among teens who had never smoked a cigarette, recent vapers were 4 times more likely than nonvapers to move away from the view that cigarette smoking poses a “great risk”
               
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