In a discouraging development, the teenagers in the United States were found more inclined towards smoking electronic cigarettes in comparison to their traditional form.
The increasing trend in use of e-cigs among the American teens is seen by the health experts as a big concern.
The revelations were made in the annual data from the National Institutes of Health.
The latest numbers were gathered under the government-funded ‘Monitoring the Future’ program, an ongoing survey of the teens where the federal health officials intend to keep a track on the data on youth substance abuse.
The ongoing ‘Monitoring the Future’ program was led by the researchers at the University of Michigan.
For the study, the research group included more than 40,000 children in 377 public and private schools nationwide.
According to the study investigators, the tobacco smoking among American teens has reached its lowest point since the commencement of the survey in 1975.
The study showed that over double the number of 8th and 10th graders, who were a regular cigarette smoker admitted that they used e-cigarettes within the past month. However, the study did not follow the participants for knowing about the repeated use of modern cigarettes.
E-cigs create nicotine-infused vapor, which doesn’t possess the same tar and chemicals that is found in regular cigarettes. But their long-term health effects are still doubtable.
During the study, the researchers found that 15 percent of eighth-graders said they understand the harmful risk of regular e-cigarette smoking. On the other hand, 62 percent of the participants said that they share similar view about smoking one or more packs of traditional or regular cigarettes per day.
The study further showed that only 4 percent of eighth-graders showed they lit up a traditional cigarette in the past month, while 9 percent copped to e-cigarette smoking during that same time frame. 7 percent of 10th-graders used a traditional cigarette, while 16 percent admitted that they smoked an e-cigarette.
The study found that the popularity of electronic smoking tools also increased with age. 17 percent of high school seniors admitted of smoking an e-cigarette over the past month, while 14 percent said that they used a regular cigarette.
The use of e-cigarettes is rigorously debated as far as their health risks are concerned. Some find it an effective medium for quitting smoking habit, while some call it a better alternative to traditional cigarettes. But in the dearth of proper research work and stricter federal regulations, electronic cigarettes remain a big area of concern as far as their health issues are concerned.
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