Thursday, October 11, 2018

What is The Truth?

I have just seen this message  (below) from The truth :(
that refers to this 'study" about initiation of traditional cigarette smoking after e-cig use... 
The first impression I get is that young people who used to be non-smokers but started vaping become regular smokers later. BUT the study is in fact about "initiation", did those 'initiated' smokers become regular smokers? It also looks like this study concerned "young adults" ie above 18 years old but the text used by Truth (fact 399!) does not refer to the age. The distortion/manipulation is subtle in that I think the unsuspecting reader will think any young user will become a life long smoker as I guess (maybe I am wrong) that  'start smoking cigarettes' expands to 'smoking regularly' (at least for me). I think the notion of 'initiation' or experimentation is blurry or unknown for many/most non specialists, for me it translates into they become life long smokers. But it does not seem the study corroborates that. I feel a bit upset by this type of messaging and there are many more proudly disseminated by The Truth. I wonder if there are regulations in the US about 'wrongful/lying advertising" (there used to be in France) and if some of those messages fall into that category?  Visiting their twitter account is quite depressing. 

IF YOU VAPE YOU'RE 4X MORE LIKELY TO START SMOKING CIGARETTES




Am J Med. 2018 Apr;131(4):443.e1-443.e9. doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2017.11.005. Epub 2017 Dec 11.

Initiation of Traditional Cigarette Smoking after Electronic Cigarette Use Among Tobacco-Naïve US Young Adults.

Author information

1
Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pa; Center for Research on Media, Technology, and Health, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pa; Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pa; University of Pittsburgh Honors College, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. Electronic address: bprimack@pitt.edu.
2
Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pa; Center for Research on Media, Technology, and Health, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pa.
3
C. Everett Koop Institute at Dartmouth, Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, NH; Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH.
4
C. Everett Koop Institute at Dartmouth, Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, NH; Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH; Department of Pediatrics, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH.
5
VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pa.
6
Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pa; Center for Research on Media, Technology, and Health, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pa; VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Although electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) may help some smokers quit, some young adult never-smokers are now using e-cigarettes recreationally, potentially increasing their risk for initiation of smoking. We aimed to determine the association between baseline e-cigarette use and subsequent initiation of cigarette smoking among initially never-smoking young adults.

METHODS:

We conducted a prospective cohort study with assessments at baseline (March 2013) and follow-up (October 2014). We used sampling frames representing 97% of the US population to recruit a nationally representative sample of never-smoking young adults aged 18 to 30 years. The independent variable was baseline ever use of e-cigarettes. The main outcome measure was initiation of traditional cigarette smoking between baseline and 18-month follow-up.

RESULTS:

Baseline surveys were completed by 1506 never-smoking young adults, of whom 915 (60.8%) completed follow-up. There were no demographic differences between responders and nonresponders. After applying survey weights-which accounted for both nonresponse and overcoverage or undercoverage-2.5% of the represented population of never-smokers (801,010 of 32,040,393) used e-cigarettes at baseline. Cigarette smoking was initiated by 47.7% of e-cigarette users and 10.2% of nonusers (P = .001). In fully adjusted multivariable models, e-cigarette use at baseline was independently associated with initiation of smoking at 18 months (adjusted odds ratio, 6.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.7-28.3). Results remained similar in magnitude and statistically significant in all sensitivity analyses.

CONCLUSIONS:

Baseline e-cigarette use was independently associated with initiation of traditional cigarette smoking at 18 months. This finding supports policy and educational interventions designed to decrease use of e-cigarettes among nonsmokers.

KEYWORDS:

Electronic nicotine delivery devices; Harm reduction; Nicotine; Priority/special populations

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