Adolescents’ Use of “Pod Mod†E-Cigarettes — Urgent Concerns
Jessica L. Barrington-Trimis, Ph.D., and Adam M. Leventhal, Ph.D.
Adolescents’ use of electronic cigarettes initially took the public health community by surprise. In 2011, less than 2% of U.S. high school students reported having used e-cigarettes in the previous month. But by 2015, the percentage had jumped to 16%. The following year, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a report concluding that e-cigarette use among young people was “a public health concern.†Ensuing public education campaigns and policies helped bring the prevalence of past-month e-cigarette use among U.S. high school students down to 11% in
A recent evolution in technology and marketing may threaten this progress. A new product class called “pod mods†— small, rechargeable devices that aerosolize liquid solutions containing nicotine, flavoring, and other contents encapsulated in cartridges (see graphic) — appears to be gaining traction. Media stories about Juul, a popular pod mod brand, highlight anecdotal reports from students, parents, teachers, and school superintendents indicating that use of these products is rampant among young people. According to Nielsen data, as of January 27, 2018, Juul had captured 49.6% of the e-cigarette market.2 There is reason to be concerned that adolescents’ use of pod mods is not a passing trend and could bring a host of adverse health consequences to the current generation of adolescents and young adults.
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1805758
