title: Correlates of Electronic Cigarettes Use Before and During Pregnancy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Electronic cigarette use is rapidly gaining in popularity. However, little is known about correlates and reasons for electronic cigarette use by women of reproductive age, a group for which the safety and efficacy of electronic cigarette use is of particular interest.
  
  
  METHODS
  As part of a clinical trial for smoking cessation, we surveyed pregnant smokers about their lifetime use of electronic cigarettes, previous use of any adjunctive treatments for smoking cessation, and use of electronic cigarettes during pregnancy. We examined associations between electronic cigarette use and participant characteristics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-three percent (55/103) of participants had previously tried electronic cigarettes. Ever users smoked more cigarettes per day before pregnancy (p = .049), had a greater number of previous quit attempts (p = .033), and were more likely to identify as being Hispanic or non-Hispanic white than never users (p = .027). Fifteen percent of participants (15/103) reported previous use of electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation, which was more common than the use of any specific FDA-approved smoking cessation medication. Fourteen percent of participants (14/103) reported electronic cigarette use during pregnancy, most commonly to quit smoking. A history of substance abuse (p = .043) and more previous quit attempts (p = .018) were associated with electronic cigarette use during pregnancy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Use of electronic cigarettes to quit smoking may be common in women of reproductive age, including those who are pregnant. More research is needed to determine the risks and benefits of electronic cigarette use in this population of smokers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows that electronic cigarettes are used by women of reproductive age, including pregnant smokers. The implications of this finding are that there is an urgent need to examine the risks and benefits of electronic cigarette use, especially by pregnant women. The study also shows that electronic cigarettes are commonly used as a smoking cessation aid in women of reproductive age. The greater likelihood of electronic cigarette use compared to proven adjunctive smoking treatments suggests that electronic cigarettes should be examined as a potential aid to cessation in this population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT.|Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT.
authors.forename: Cheryl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Oncken
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA.|Adjunct Staff, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA.
authors.forename: Karen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Ricci
authors.affiliation: Connecticut Institute for Clinical and Translational Science, Department of Community Medicine and Health Care, Institute for Systems Genomics, Farmington, CT.
authors.forename: Chia-Ling
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT.|Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT.
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dornelas
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and Crescenz VAMC, Philadelphia, PA.
authors.forename: Henry R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Kranzler
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA.
authors.forename: Heather Z
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Sankey
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D066300:Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D037841:Pregnant People; D012106:Research; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*; D044465:White People; D055815:Young Adult