According to recent medical reports, e-cigarettes are linked to increased smoking rates among teenagers. Based on the data collected by medical experts during a recent experiment conducted by the University of Southern California, teenagers who smoke e-cigarettes are more likely to make the transition to traditional cigarettes as they grow older.
The study effected by the University of Southern California saw the participation of 2,084 high school teens studying in the 11th and the 12th grade. At the end of the research, scientists have concluded that 24 percent of the interviewed participants smoked e-cigarettes at least once, whereas 18.7 used only traditional cigarettes. The percentage of frequent e-cigarette smokers amounted to 9.6%.
Medical experts were, nonetheless, worried of the little knowledge that teenagers have on e-cigarettes. The majority of them believe these are harmless because they have been used and described as a good substitute for the traditional cigarettes, which are incredibly noxious.
According to Jessica Barrington-Trimis, e-cigarettes may be just as harmful as traditional cigarettes, given the amounts of toxins they contain. The leader of the study has further stated that e-cigarettes have a strong psychological impact on non-smokers, who become used to this habit, once they use the electronic device for the first time.
Jessica Barrington-Trimis reminded smokers and non-smokers that e-cigarettes are just as rich in nicotine as regular cigarettes are. The substance causes users to become addicted to nicotine, be it contained in e-cigarettes or the so-called cancer sticks, as teenagers name them.
Although the study shows e-cigarettes have the ability to render the act of smoking normal, researchers believe additional evidence is required to further prove their negative influence on teenagers. For that matter, future studies will focus on the identification of the psychosocial factors that determine teens to use traditional cigarettes after they have tried the electronic ones.
The findings of the current study have been published in the journal of Pediatrics.
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