Nearly a third of youth current tobacco users report one or more dependence symptom.

Dependence symptoms were highest among frequent current multiple product users.

Even infrequent current tobacco users reported symptoms of dependence.

Flavored product use and frequent use were also associated with dependence symptoms.

Tobacco initiation before age 11 was associated with reporting dependence symptoms.

Previous studies have indicated that youth who use tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco, demonstrate dependence symptoms. However, the tobacco marketplace has expanded dramatically in recent years, and few studies have examined dependence symptoms among youth who use novel products. This study combined 2019–2020 National Youth Tobacco Survey data to report the prevalence and determinants of tobacco dependence symptoms among U.S. middle and high school current (past 30-day) tobacco users.

Prevalence estimates were calculated to examine dependence outcomes and other covariates by user groups (single product users and multiple product users). Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify independent predictors of tobacco dependence among current users of cigarettes, cigars (regular cigars, cigarillos, and little cigars), e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, hookah, pipe tobacco, bidis, and smokeless tobacco products (chew, snuff, dip, snus, and dissolvables).

Among current tobacco users, 15.7 % (95 % CI: 14.2–17.3) reported wanting to use tobacco within 30 min of waking and 28.3 % (95 % CI: 26.3–30.5) reported strong cravings for tobacco in the past 30 days. Nearly-two-thirds of current users were single product users, of which 80.5 % reported using e-cigarettes. Reporting of dependence symptoms was generally associated with multiple product use, higher frequency of use, earlier initiation age, and use of flavored products.

Among U.S. adolescents, a considerable amount of current tobacco product users, even infrequent users, reported symptoms of dependence. These findings highlight the continued importance of prevention strategies for youth tobacco experimentation and progression to regular use.

Tobacco

Dependence

Adolescents

National Youth Tobacco Survey

Published by Elsevier Ltd.