• Cara A Struble, Samantha J Bauer, Leslie H Lundahl, Samiran Ghosh, and David M Ledgerwood.
• Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Suite 2A, 3901 Chrysler Drive, Detroit, MI 48201, USA; Center for Technology and Behavioral Health, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, 46 Centerra Parkway, EverGreen Center, Suite 315, Lebanon, NH 03766, USA. Electronic address: cara.a.struble@dartmouth.edu.
• Prev Med. 2022 Feb 1; 155: 106926.

AbstractSexual minorities demonstrate disparities in traditional cigarette use and nicotine-related health consequences. Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use is increasing, particularly among adolescents and young adults. Sexual minorities have been found to use e-cigarettes at higher rates than heterosexuals, but little is known about reasons for this disparity. The present study examined characteristics of current and lifetime e-cigarette use between sexual minority and heterosexual young adults (18-34; N = 14,174) using a U.S. national sample from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Survey-Wave 3. Sexual minority young adults were hypothesized to have higher rates of current and lifetime e-cigarette use and higher rates of exposure to e-cigarette advertisements. These exposures were hypothesized to moderate the relationship between sexual minority status and current e-cigarette use. Results revealed that sexual minority respondents demonstrated greater risk of current e-cigarette use after adjusting for several covariates (e.g., sex, age, lifetime cigarette use). However, advertisement exposures did not moderate the relationship between sexual minority status and current e-cigarette use. In contrast, sexual minority status was not associated with lifetime e-cigarette use after controlling for covariates. Post-hoc tests revealed that sexual minority status was associated with heightened risk of current and lifetime e-cigarette use only among females. This is the first study to examine the impact of e-cigarette advertising across expanded settings, including point of sale locations (e.g., retail, bars, festivals), while exploring differences in current and lifetime e-cigarette use among sexual minority and heterosexual males and females.Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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