Electronic Cigarettes as an Introductory Tobacco Product Among Eighth and 11th Grade Tobacco Users — Oregon, 2015

During 2011-2015, increased electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) and hookah use offset declines in cigarette and other tobacco product use among youths (persons aged <18 years) (1). Limited information exists about which tobacco product introduced youths to tobacco product use. Patterns of first use of e-cigarettes among Oregon youths who were tobacco users were assessed in the Oregon Healthy Teens 2015 survey, a cross-sectional survey of eighth and 11th grade students in Oregon. Respondents were asked, "The very first time you used any tobacco or vaping product, which type of product did you use?" Among students who had ever used any tobacco product (ever users), e-cigarettes were the most common introductory tobacco product reported by both eighth (43.5%) and 11th (34.4%) grade students. Among students who used a tobacco product for ≥1 day during the past 30 days (current users), e-cigarettes were the most common introductory tobacco product reported by eighth grade students (44.4%) and the second most common introductory tobacco product reported by 11th grade students (31.0%). Introductory use of e-cigarettes was commonly reported among youths in Oregon who were ever or current tobacco users, underscoring the importance of proven interventions to prevent all forms of tobacco use among youths (2,3).