# Yale Study: Curiosity and Flavors Play Biggest Roles in E-Cig Trial Among Teens



## Alex (8/12/14)

*Yale Study: Curiosity and Flavors Play Biggest Roles in E-Cig Trial Among Teens*
by Klaus Kneale
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December 8, 2014




A new study from the Department of Psychiatry at Yale’s School of Medicine has investigated why many teens try electronic cigarettes and why the stop using them. Surprising almost no one is the fact that basic curiosity and appealing flavors played the largest roles in getting teens to try the devices. This sparked researchers to urge the limiting of electronic cigarette flavor availability to reduce trial among teens — which will likely be parroted by anti-smoking zealots and nanny groups.

The study conducted 18 focus groups across one middle school, two high schools, and two colleges in Connecticut. They followed up with surveys across two additional middle schools, four additional high schools and one more college. Those studied could provide multiple reasons for their decision to try or quit electronic cigarettes.

Ultimately, researchers found that curiosity was a reason for trial among 54.4% and that appealing flavors was a reason among 43.8%. These were the top reasons followed by peer influence at 31.6%. This shouldn’t be surprising nor concerning — and it certainly shouldn’t be justification for banning flavors in the space. Despite some voices out there attempting to claim that flavors don’t matter to kids, they do. That doesn’t mean that we need to live in a world where electronic cigarettes are restricted to only tobacco and menthol flavors (as is the goal for some regulators).

You can find the study right here.




Like anything else primarily for adults, we have to balance the benefits against the drawbacks and act appropriately. If the entire next generation uses electronic cigarettes because we allow a variety of flavors on the market, it could be well worth it if it means smoking (which is argued to be 99% more harmful) goes obsolete.

The study also shows that curiosity plays a bigger role in trial than flavors. This means that even without flavors, there will be a significant portion of teens that will try the products just to see what it’s like. The only way to prevent curiosity would be to prevent teens from even knowing electronic cigarettes exist. Again, like other things reserved for adults, we have to strike a balance between protecting kids and allowing adults the freedom to consume.

Alcoh0l is a good analogue for the debate. There are certainly some out there that would love to see all alcohol prohibited or more heavily restricted — and kids do get their hands on it and try it out of curiosity, because it sounds cool, because they are told they can’t have it, and because it comes in a variety of enticing flavors. But ultimately, to allow for consumer freedom, we allow enticing flavors of alcohol to exist and simply penalize those that allow alcohol to get into the hands of the underaged.

More information is always helpful and this study is no different. However, the decisions we make based on the these results should be based on a wealth of knowledge, not a few cherry-picked pieces that make the arguments we would like to see proven.

source: http://www.ecigadvanced.com/blog/ya...lay-biggest-roles-in-e-cig-trial-among-teens/

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