Content area
Full text
The prevalence of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use and its potentially negative health effects has led to an increasing need for integration of the documentation and screening of e-cigarette use into a routine history and physical examination. This information is imperative to advancing research on the health effects and epidemiology of this increasingly popular product. However, these efforts are limited due to the lack of a standardized method of quantification or common terminology surrounding e-cigarette use. This study analyzed a rapidly growing collection of literature to identify the manner in which e-cigarette use has been quantified and reported in previous studies, variations in e-cigarette products and use, and quantification methods used for traditional cigarettes, in order to develop a standard method of quantification for e-cigarette use. This proposal, similar to cigarette pack-years, quantifies and reports e-cigarette use by volume (mL) of e-liquid consumed per day multiplied by the number of years an individual has used e-cigarette products. This calculation will be referred to as "e-years." We believe e-years is an appropriate equivalent to pack-years in the reporting of tobacco use and employs patient-friendly calculation and an attractive nomenclature, and, furthermore, propose the utilization of this for standard reporting and documentation of e-cigarette use.
KEY WORDS: Electronic cigarettes; e-years; pack-years; nicotine; vaping; documentation; quantification.
Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are devices that use a battery to heat a solution (e-liquid), typically with a coil, vaporizing the e-liquid and creating an aerosol (e-aerosol) for inhalation. Since their introduction to the American market in 2007, e-cigarette use has become increasingly popular and has grown into a $3.5 billion market.1
E-cigarettes often are viewed as safer and cheaper alternatives to cigarettes2 and are popular among individuals who have quit smoking.3-5 Recent research has demonstrated e-cigarettes to be more efficacious than traditional nicotine replacement therapy when both products were accompanied with behavioral support for individuals interested in quitting smoking.6 Between 2010 and 2014, there was a statistically significant decrease in smoking rates in the United States, which was associated with a drastic increase in e-cigarette use.7 In addition, there is a high prevalence of e-cigarette use in adolescents.8 E-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco products for middleand high school students,9 and in 2017 it was predicted that 27.7% of eighth-graders had...