Association of ever use of e-cigarettes with health and lifestyle variables among young adults: a Canadian health measure survey study

Research suggests that vaping raises oxidative stress levels and has been implicated in poor mental health. The objective of this study is to assess cross-sectional associations between quality of life (QOL) indicators and e-cigarette (EC) use in young Canadian adults. We used data from the 2016–2017 Canadian Health Measures Survey. We compared physical activity (daily steps), physiological measurements (high-density lipoprotein for cholesterol level), self-perceived life stress, mental health, and QOL between ever-use EC users and non-users. Multivariable binary or ordinal logistic regressions were used to calculate odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Analyses included 905 participants (15–30 years) with 115 (12.7%) reporting EC use and 790 non-users. After adjusting for confounders, compared to non-users, EC users had significantly higher odds of being physically active (OR = 2.19, 95%CI: 1.14–4.20) but also with self-reported extreme life stress (OR = 2.68, 95%CI: 1.45–4.92). Albeit statistically non-significant, EC users also had higher odds of poorer QOL (OR = 1.12, 95%CI: 0.64–1.95). No statistically significant interactions between EC use, cigarette smoking, cannabis consumption and health outcomes were observed.

Conclusion: Our study found that EC use was independently and significantly associated with increased odds of life stress and an indication of poorer QOL. Ongoing surveillance on young EC users is important to measure the long-term impact of vaping on their physical, mental health and quality of life to target for interventions.