Tobacco use and cessation behaviors in young adults: 2016 national health interview survey

Objectives. To examine differences in tobacco use and cessation between young adults (aged 18-24 years) and adults aged 25 years or older. Methods: We used data from the 2016 US National Health Interview Survey (n =33028) to identify 13494 current and former cigarette smokers (562 aged 18-24 years; 12932 aged 25 years or older). We analyzed correlations between age group, cigarette smoking, cessation behaviors, and other tobacco and nicotine use. Results: Among current and former smokers, those aged 18 to 24 years had lower odds of having quit for 1 year or longer and higher odds of having tried e-cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and smokeless tobacco compared with adults aged 25 years or older, as well as higher odds of daily e-cigarette and smokeless tobacco use. Young adult smokers used fewer cigarettes per day than did those aged 25 years or older (mean =8.8 vs 12.3), had higher odds of making a past-year quit attempt (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] =1.42), and had lower odds of having a health professional talk to them about smoking (AOR=0.44). Conclusions: Greater experimentation with noncigarette products, lower cigarette consumption, and greater interest in quitting smoking invite novel intervention approaches to tobacco reduction, cessation, and relapse prevention in young adults.