The Prevalence of E-cigarette Use in a Sample of U.S. Air Force Recruits

Introduction The prevalence of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use is increasing markedly in the general population. Yet, remarkably little research exists to examine these ongoing trends in at-risk populations, and nothing is known about the prevalence of e-cigarette use among military personnel. The purpose of the current study is to provide recent (2013–2014) data on the prevalence of regular e-cigarette use in a population of recruits prior to their entry into the U.S. military. Methods The study utilized a cross-sectional assessment of e-cigarette and other tobacco and nicotine–containing product (TNCP) use in 2013–2014 among 10,043 U.S. Air Force (USAF) recruits in Technical Training. Chi-square tests, the Cochran–Armitage test for trend, and logistic regression models tested differences and trends across time for e-cigarette use. Results The rate of e-cigarette use among recruits was 5.2%, which doubled (3% to 6.5%, p