Alexandra Loukas

Objective: This study leverages three data sources to identify and characterize the top e-cigarette brands among young adults and in the e-cigarette retail market. Methods: Data were obtained from two cross-sectional surveys of current e-cigarette users participating in either the Truth Continuous Tracking Online (Truth CTO) or Texas College Tobacco Survey and from NielsenIQ Retail Scanner data, aggregated at the national and state (Texas) levels. Results: Eight brands (Esco Bars, Elf Bar, Vuse, JUUL, Puff Bar, SMOK, Geek Bar, and Lost Mary) dominated all sources. Rankings of the top e-cigarette brands in the Truth CTO, Texas College Tobacco Survey, and NielsenIQ Retail Scanner data differed. In 2023, Elf Bar, Esco Bars, and Vuse were the top brands among Texas college students, while the Truth CTO sample showed higher use of JUUL, Puff Bar, and Elf Bar. Brand rankings shifted in 2024, with Esco Bars and Elf Bar declining and Geek Bar emerging in the Texas College sample and Geek Bar and Lost Mary increasing in the Truth CTO sample. Conclusion: Results demonstrate how rapid surveillance and retail data can be used to complementarily characterize top e-cigarette brands in the US retail market. There is markedly more variation in the top e-cigarette brands at the state level. Continued monitoring of e-cigarette brands is needed to identify emergent trends and inform strategies to reduce e-cigarette use among young adults at the state, national, and retail market levels.

Sociopolitical stress associated with the policies and rhetoric coming from recent U.S. presidential administrations is of particular concern vis-à-vis Hispanic individuals, who have been disproportionately targeted for detention and deportation. Such stress may be associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety, and ultimately with tobacco use. However, there is a paucity of research examining how sociopolitical stress is associated with mental health problems and substance use among Hispanic emerging adults. Accordingly, the present study was designed to examine the extent to which, within a sample of Mexican American college students, sociopolitical stress would be linked with tobacco use indirectly through symptoms of depression and anxiety. A cross-sectional sample of 997 Mexican American college students in Texas completed measures of sociopolitical stress, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and cigarette and e-cigarette use. More than 75% of participants agreed/strongly agreed with each of the sociopolitical stress items, suggesting high levels of sociopolitical stress within the sample. Structural equation models indicated that sociopolitical stress was associated directly with depressive symptoms (β = 0.16, p < .001) and indirectly with both cigarette (b = 0.01, 95% CI = 0.002, 0.015) and e-cigarette (b = 0.02, 95% CI = 0.005, 0.033) use and sociopolitical stress was associated directly with anxiety (β = 0.16, p < .001) and indirectly with both cigarette (b = 0.01, 95% CI = 0.001, 0.014) and e-cigarette (β = 0.02, 95% CI = 0.008, 0.037) use. Intervention and policy work is needed to offset the associations of sociopolitical stress associated with recent U.S. administrations vis-à-vis mental health symptoms and tobacco use among Hispanic populations, including college students.

While e-cigarette use has declined or remained relatively stable in some older adult age groups, young adults continue to have the highest prevalence of use. Recent national estimates indicate that...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.2196/63584.].

Factors contributing to cannabis initiation among Hispanic young adults remain understudied. We examined the independent and interactive roles of depressive symptoms, family cohesion, and family conflict on cannabis initiation one year later among 616 18-29-year-old cannabis-naïve Mexican American college students in Texas. Mixed-effects logistic regressions indicated that greater depressive symptoms predicted cannabis initiation one year later. Neither family cohesion nor family conflict moderated the depressive symptoms-cannabis initiation association. Mexican American young adults experiencing depressive symptoms may initiate cannabis use to cope with emotional distress. Additional research should examine the factors that drive cannabis initiation in this population.

Vaping rates among Mexican-American college students are high, yet the contributing personal and environmental factors remain understudied. The current qualitative study applies Social Cognitive Theory to examine how personal factors (e.g., self-efficacy, beliefs, and outcome expectations) and environmental influences (e.g., social norms and social media) shape vaping behaviors in this vulnerable population. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 19 Mexican-American college students (ages 18-25 years), 68% of whom were female, and all were current vapers. Participants discussed the personal and social contexts of their vaping experiences, with questions exploring their beliefs and outcome expectations. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded independently in NVivo 14 using an iterative process to identify emerging themes. Four primary themes were identified. (1) Participants reported positive first experiences with vaping due to pleasant flavors, a sense of relaxation, or social acceptance. (2) Most participants reported high self-efficacy in their ability to manage or control their vaping behaviors. (3) Participants described their perceptions of vaping's benefits and risks, including expected relaxation, social acceptance, and some reported concerns about potential health effects. (4) The exposure to vaping-related content on social media from peers and celebrities acted as environmental triggers for vaping behavior. The findings highlight the significant influence of knowledge, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and social media exposure, key components of Social Cognitive Theory, on vaping behavior among Mexican-American college students. These insights underscore the need for tailored interventions to reduce vaping and enhance compliance with tobacco policies on college campuses.

Introduction: Young adulthood is a pivotal period for mental health and tobacco use. Prior studies show a connection between smoking and depression, but the sequence of their effects remains unclear. This study explores the bidirectional associations between cigarette use and depressive symptoms in young adults aged 18–30. Methods: We analyzed data from 4232 young adults (mean age = 19.99, 64% female, 65% non-white) from 24 Texas colleges, across eight waves from 2014 to 2019. Survival analysis was conducted via multiple Cox regression, using age as the time variable and adjusting for wave, sex, and racial/ethnic identity. One model assessed if clinically significant depressive symptoms affected cigarette initiation, while another examined the influence of cigarette use on new onset of clinically significant depressive symptoms. Results: Seven-point six percent of participants initiated cigarette use, and 48.9% of participants reported new onset of depressive symptoms over the 4.5-year period. Depressive symptoms were associated with a 67% increase in the risk of cigarette initiation (HR = 1.67, p < .001). Alternatively, cigarette use was associated with a 17% increase in the risk of new onset depressive symptoms (HR = 1.17, p = .017). Discussion: Cigarette use and depressive symptoms have bi-directional associations among young adults. Interventions to prevent cigarette use should be tailored for young adults who experience depressive symptoms. Further, young adults who receive mental health treatment should be provided with smoking prevention resources. Implications: This study provides evidence of bidirectional associations between cigarette use and depressive symptoms across young adulthood. Clinically significant depressive symptoms elevated the risk of cigarette initiation. Further, cigarette use elevated the risk of new-onset depressive symptoms. These findings have implications for prevention and intervention programs with young adults. Specifically, findings support the delivery of anti-smoking resources to young adults experiencing depression and the delivery of mental health resources to young adults who use cigarettes.