CDC Study Reveals E-Cigarette Use Among US Children Doubles
A growing number of children using E-Cigarettes have been recorded in a recent study.
A new research conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that the percentage of electronic cigarette users in both middle schools and high school students have doubled from 2011 to 2012.
According to CBS News, the data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey revealed that from 4.7 percent in 2011, high school students who use E-Cigs have grown to 10 percent in 2012. Just as well, the number of middle schoolers who use these electronic nicotine systems have increased double - from 1.4 percent in 2011 to 2.7 percent in 2012.
The survey was done on 20,000 students from grade six to 12, reviewing their "tobacco-related beliefs and attitudes, use habits and exposure to pro- and anti-tobacco influences," wrote the site.
This has been a cause for concern among health officials and parents, especially since over 90 percent of smokers begin in their teenage years. Moreover, according to Washington Post, many students have their first taste of nicotine using the electronic device.
"The increased use of e-cigarettes by teens is deeply troubling," CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden noted, reports CBS. "Many teens who start with e-cigarettes may be condemned to struggling with a lifelong addiction to nicotine and conventional cigarettes."
Nicotine has been proven to be one the most addictive substances available. Electronic Cigarettes, which are battery operated, have somehow cloaked its health effects through aerosol puffs that contain flavoring. Moreover, the research has also proven that most middle school users of E-Cigarettes move on to conventional cigarettes when they reach high school.
"These dramatic increases suggest that developing strategies to prevent marketing, sales, and use of e-cigarettes among youth is critical," CDC's Office on Smoking and Health director Dr. Tim McAfee said in a statement.
So far, 20 states in the U.S. have already banned the sale of E-Cigarettes to minors.