Among adolescents (aged 12-17 years) who already experimented with cigarettes but were not yet established smokers, having used electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) was prospectively associated with the onset of current established cigarette smoking, a recent study found. Researchers examined 3 outcomes at 1-year follow-up as a function of baseline e-cigarette use: 1) having smoked ≥100 cigarettes (established smoking), 2) smoking during the past 30 days, and 3) both having smoked ≥100 cigarettes and past 30-day smoking. They found:

• Having ever used e-cigarettes was positively associated with progression to established cigarette smoking, past 30-day smoking, and current established smoking vs e-cigarette never use.
• In adjusted models, e-cigarette ever use positively predicted current established smoking (OR, 1.80), but did not reach statistical significance for established smoking (OR, 1.57) and past 30-day smoking (OR, 1.32).