Electronic nicotine delivery system use is related to higher odds of alcohol and marijuana use in adolescents: Meta-analytic evidence

Research suggests that electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) use is associated with other substance use in adolescents; however, the magnitude of this association and whether this differs between adolescents and adults is not yet well understood. This meta-analysis aimed to quantify the extent to which ENDS use is associated with alcohol and marijuana use among adolescents and to compare the odds across adolescent samples and a comparison group of adult samples. A comprehensive literature review was conducted examining the relationship between ENDS use and alcohol (adolescent k = 40 from 19 independent studies; adult k = 35 from 12 independent studies) and marijuana (adolescent k = 24 from 14 independent studies; adult k = 6 from 3 independent studies) use. Adolescents who use ENDS had greater odds of reporting co-occurring alcohol use (OR = 4.50, p < .001), particularly binge drinking (OR = 4.51), and marijuana use (OR = 6.04, p < .001) than adolescent who did not use ENDS. Adults who use ENDS were also more likely to use alcohol (OR = 1.57, p < .001) and marijuana (OR = 2.04, p < .001) than those who did not use ENDS. ENDS use was associated with significantly greater odds of alcohol use (log odds ratio; LOR = 0.96 (OR = 2.61),p < .001) and a trend of greater marijuana use (LOR = 0.93 (OR = 2.53), p = 0.08) in adolescents than in adults. Effects were large in adolescents and small in adults. Findings suggest that ENDS use should be assessed in adolescents in both research and clinical settings. Importantly, ENDS use is strongly associated with co-occurring alcohol or marijuana use in adolescents.