Most adults agree e-cigarettes cause cancer while more Millennials, Gen Z believe them to be harmless
FRIDAY, Sept. 27, 2019 (HealthDay News) — One in eight U.S. adults report using electronic cigarettes regularly, according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s 2019 Cancer Opinions Survey.
The survey, conducted online by The Harris Poll, was administered to 4,001 U.S. adults (18+) and asked questions regarding reported use of and perceptions about e-cigarettes.
According to the survey, 73 percent of U.S. adults have not tried e-cigarettes, while 13 percent are regular users. Overall, 21, 18, and 15 percent of Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen X, respectively, report being daily or recreational e-cigarette users. Seventeen percent of parents with children aged 9 to 17 years report that their child(ren) have tried e-cigarettes; 7 percent are regular users. Most e-cigarette users who are or have been cigarette smokers have used e-cigarettes to reduce or quit smoking (44 and 41 percent, respectively). Most adults (71 percent), including regular users (58 percent), agree that e-cigarettes cause cancer; 20 and 16 percent, respectively, believe you cannot get addicted to them and that they are harmless. More Gen Z and Millennials believe them to be harmless (20 and 24 percent respectively). Seventy-one percent of adults support U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulation of e-cigarettes and raising the legal age for purchasing tobacco products and specifically e-cigarettes (68 percent).
“We need more research about these products so we can begin to answer these questions and protect the health and safety of the American public through education and, where necessary, regulation,” Richard L. Schilsky, M.D., the chief medical officer at the American Society of Clinical Oncology, said in a statement.
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