Assessing Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems Device Type Accurately in Surveys

Abstract Introduction The electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) market is highly heterogeneous and changing rapidly in the United States, making classification of devices complicated, especially for surveys. We assessed the percentage of concordant responses between self-reported device type and device type reported by manufacturer/retailer sites for three ENDS brands. Aims and Methods Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study wave 5 (2018–2019) asked adult ENDS users about their ENDS device type with the following multiple-choice question: “What kind of electronic nicotine product [is/was] it?” with response options: (1) A disposable device, (2) A device that uses replaceable prefilled cartridges, (3) A device with a tank that you refill with liquids (4) A mod system, and (5) Something else. Participants using only one ENDS device and reporting brands of JUUL (n = 579), Markten (n = 30), or Vuse (n = 47) were included. Responses were dichotomized as “concordant=1” (prefilled cartridge for these three brands) and “discordant = 0” (other responses) to assess the concordance. Results The overall concordance between self-reports and manufacturer/retail sites was 81.8% (n = 537). This percentage was 82.7% (n = 37) among Vuse users, 82.6% (n = 479) among JUUL users, and 69.1% (n = 21) among Markten users. Almost one in three people who use Markten did not indicate that their device uses replaceable prefilled cartridges. Conclusions While at least 70% concordance could be acceptable, collecting more information about device type (eg, liquid container (pod/cartridge/tank), refillability; and submitting pictures) may improve the accuracy of the information. Implications This study is particularly relevant for researchers analyzing smaller samples for example when examining disparities. Monitoring the characteristics of ENDS accurately in population-based studies is critical for regulatory authorities to understand ENDS toxicity, addiction, health effects, and use behaviors at the population level. There is evidence that higher concordance can be achieved with other questions- and methods. Adjusting survey questions about ENDS device type (eg, more descriptive response options, inclusion of separate questions asking about tank, pod, cartridge) and potentially including photos of participants’ devices may help to classify ENDS device types more accurately.