Trends in youth e-cigarette and cigarette use between 2013 and 2019: insights from repeat cross-sectional data from the COMPASS study

OBJECTIVES: E-cigarettes are an increasingly popular product among youth in Canada. However, there is a lack of long-term data presenting trends in use. As such, the objective of this study was to examine trends in e-cigarette and cigarette use across various demographic characteristics between 2013 and 2019 among a large sample of secondary school youth in Canada. METHODS: Using repeat cross-sectional data from a non-probability sample of students in grades 9 to 12, this study explored trends in the prevalence of ever and current e-cigarette use and cigarette smoking between 2013–2014 and 2018–2019 in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec. Trends in ever and current e-cigarette use and cigarette smoking were studied across demographic variables among students in Ontario. RESULTS: The prevalence of e-cigarette ever and current use was variable across province and increased over time, particularly between 2016–2017 and 2018–2019. In contrast, the prevalence of current cigarette smoking was relatively stable over the study period, decreasing significantly in Alberta and Ontario between 2017–2018 and 2018–2019. In Ontario, the prevalence of ever and current e-cigarette use increased among all grades, both genders, and all ethnicities. CONCLUSION: Consistent with data from the United States, the prevalence of e-cigarette use among our large sample of Canadian youth has increased substantially in a short period of time. Surveillance systems should continue to monitor the prevalence of tobacco use among youth. Additional interventions may be necessary to curb e-cigarette use among Canadian youth. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.17269/s41997-020-00389-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.