Jim Liebelt's Youth Culture Watch

U.S. Youth Vaping Drops to Lowest Level in a Decade

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by HealthDay.

Just 5.9% of American middle and high school students now vape, a big drop from the 7.7% who did so a year ago, new government data shows.

Put another way, about 1.6 million youth now say they used e-cigarettes at least once over the past month, compared to 2.1 million in 2023.

Among those who say they vape, 23.6% said they do it on a daily basis.

It was high school kids who drove the change, according to the National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), with middle schoolers still vaping at rates roughly similar to a year ago.

Still, any reduction in vaping is welcome, said Brian King, director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Tobacco Products.

The NYTS survey is taken each year and involves U.S. middle (grades 6–8) and high school (grades 9–12) students. This year, kids were surveyed between late January and late May.

After decades of steady declines in cigarette smoking among youth, health experts have been disheartened by the quick rise of nicotine-laden vaping instead.

However, rates have begun to fall, and now that number is only a third of the 2019 tally.

The vast majority of youth who vape use flavored e-cigarettes (87.6%), with fruit (62.8%), candy (33.3%), and mint (25.1%) as the top flavors of choice.

The most popular brands in 2024 are Elf Bar (36.1%), Breeze (19.9%), Mr. Fog (15.8%), Vuse (13.7%) and JUUL (12.6%).

Source: HealthDay
https://www.healthday.com/health-news/child-health/us-youth-vaping-drops-to-lowest-level-in-a-decade

Depressed Adolescents Twice as Likely to Vape

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by MedicalXpress.

A study on vaping behavior among Australian high school students has found those who reported severe depressive symptoms were over twice as likely to have tried e-cigarettes compared to those reporting no depressive symptoms.

Data showed overall higher e-cigarette use among those with poorer mental health, including severe depressive symptoms, moderate and high stress, and low well-being.

The researchers surveyed over 5,000 Year 7 and 8 students from 40 schools in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia in 2023 (May–October), creating one of the largest datasets on adolescent vaping currently available in the country.

Out of the 5,157 students who took part in the study, 8.3% reported having used e-cigarettes before.

E-cigarette use was also 74% higher for students who reported moderate stress and 64% higher for people who reported high levels of stress.

E-cigarette use was also 105% higher for students who reported low well-being compared to high well-being. Anxiety symptoms were not associated with e-cigarette use.

The data were drawn from a survey within the "OurFutures Vaping Trial," the first and currently only clinical trial of a school-based e-cigarette prevention program in Australia.

The results, published in Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, are consistent with research in other age groups and countries, including the United States that has linked adolescent e-cigarette use with depressive and anxiety symptoms and stress.

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-09-depressed-adolescents-vape.html

Childhood Sleep Patterns May Influence Adolescent Alcohol and Marijuana Use

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by News Medical.

A good night's sleep is essential for children's health and development, but childhood sleep patterns may also be linked to future substance use. A new study, led by a team of Penn State researchers, found that adolescents were more likely to have consumed alcohol or tried marijuana by age 15 if they went to bed later and slept fewer hours during childhood and adolescence. The team published their findings in Annals of Epidemiology.

The research team explored childhood sleep at different developmental stages within the same sample of children to see if there's an impact on later substance use, which few studies have investigated. They focused on two different facets of sleep health -; total duration of sleep and time of sleep or bedtime. The researchers explained that if children, especially school-aged children, go to bed later, it could affect their ability to sleep well.

The study drew on data from 1,514 children in the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a diverse longitudinal birth cohort of children from 20 cities across the United States. Parents reported their child's regular weekday bedtime at ages three, five and nine. They also reported their child's sleep duration at ages five and nine.

When the research team evaluated the relationship between childhood bedtime and sleep duration with future alcohol and marijuana use as teens, they found a longitudinal association. Teens were 45% more likely to try alcohol by age 15 if they had a later bedtime at age nine when compared to other children with earlier bedtimes at age nine. However, bedtime at age five wasn't associated with future alcohol use, nor was sleep duration at ages five or nine. When it came to marijuana use, later bedtime at age five was associated with 26% increased odds of trying marijuana by age 15, while sleeping an hour less at age nine was associated with 19% increased odds of trying marijuana by age 15.

The research team also examined data from adolescents at age 15, who self-reported their bedtime, sleep duration and alcohol and marijuana use. They found that teens with a later bedtime had a 39% greater chance of drinking alcohol and a 34% greater chance of trying marijuana. Sleeping one hour less was associated with 28% increased odds of ever trying alcohol but wasn't associated with marijuana use.

Source: News Medical
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20240813/Childhood-sleep-patterns-may-influence-adolescent-alcohol-and-marijuana-use.aspx

Teen Alcohol Exposure Impairs Behavioral Flexibility and Learning

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by MedicalXpress.

Rats with alcohol exposure in adolescence are less able as adults to adapt their behavior in changing circumstances, according to a study that highlights the possible brain mechanisms involved. The findings may help us better understand ways that alcohol use during the teen years can lead to long-lasting cognitive and behavioral impairments.

Adolescence is a period of rapid brain development, and commonly—in humans—for initiating alcohol use, including binge drinking. For the study published in Alcohol: Clinical & Experimental Research, investigators used rats to explore the mechanisms by which early alcohol exposure may persistently impair certain types of learning.

Previous research has shown a link between intermittent alcohol exposure in rats during adolescence and reduced behavioral flexibility as adults. These studies implicated brain regions, including the anterior insular cortex (AIC), which is involved in various emotions and behaviors.

A key element of adolescent brain development involves parvalbumin-expressing (PV+) interneurons—neurons in the central nervous system that synchronize the activity of other neurons and are likely involved in attention and cognition. PV+ neurons are surrounded by perineuronal nets (PNNs), protective lattice-like structures.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill worked with 38 adult male and female rats (18 alcohol-exposed and 20 non-exposed control animals) to explore these changes in brain chemistry and related behavioral deficits following adolescent alcohol exposure.

After behavioral testing, samples were taken from relevant brain regions to assess for PV+ neurons and PNNs and researchers found the alcohol-exposed rats struggled overall, performing worse than controls—with female alcohol-exposed rats making more errors than males.

The most striking brain differences were in the AIC. There, alcohol-exposed rats had smaller PV+ cells than control rats. The alcohol-exposed rats also had more PV+ neurons surrounded by PNNs and a greater number of PNNs, suggesting that alcohol exposure leads to PNN changes within the AIC.

The behavioral and brain findings add to evidence of the link between adolescent alcohol use, neuronal changes, and diminished behavioral flexibility in adult rats.

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-07-teen-alcohol-exposure-impairs-behavioral.html

Teen Cannabis Use Dramatically Raises Risk of Psychotic Disorders

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by ScienceAlert.

Using cannabis raises the risk of teenagers developing a psychotic disorder by a staggering 11 times compared to teens who didn't report using the drug, a Canadian study has found.

That's a much stronger association than what previous studies have reported. A 2016 analysis of data from 10 different studies found the heaviest cannabis users were about four times more likely than non-users to be diagnosed with schizophrenia or another psychotic condition.

Part of the reason, aside from cannabis users' age, is that much of the data used in past analyses of adolescent cannabis use comes from before 2000, when cannabis was far less potent than it is today, the team behind the new analysis suggests.

In this new study, McMaster University epidemiologist André McDonald and colleagues looked at formal diagnoses of a psychotic disorder, such as schizophrenia, rather than acute psychotic episodes or psychotic symptoms.

They also analyzed psychosis in late adolescence, as well as early adulthood, to make sure they weren't missing (like other studies might have) a critical window when psychotic disorders tend to first appear.

The team linked survey data on cannabis use in teens and young adults, collected between 2009 and 2012, with public health records in Ontario, Canada, up to 2018. This allowed them to trace recorded diagnoses of psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia, in the years after cannabis use among some 11,300 individuals.

The researchers found a strong association between using cannabis and the risk of adolescents being diagnosed with a psychotic disorder. Diagnosis rates were 11 times higher among teens aged 12-19 years who said they used cannabis compared to those who didn't.

 

"These findings are consistent with the neurodevelopmental theory that teens are especially vulnerable to the effects of cannabis" because their brains are still developing," McDonald says.

 

The paper was published in Psychological Medicine.

 

Source: ScienceAlert
https://www.sciencealert.com/teen-cannabis-use-dramatically-raises-risk-of-psychotic-disorders

Teens and Young Adults Modify Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by MedicalXpress.

Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) are aware of and engage in modifications of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), according to a study published online June 17 in Pediatrics.

Grace Kong, Ph.D., from the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, and colleagues examined awareness and perceptions of, information sources about, and engagement in modifying ENDS among 1,018 AYAs endorsing past-month ENDS use.

The researchers found that the most common modifications to disposable pods were refilling (69.0% heard; 40.1% tried) and recharging the battery (66.4% heard; 35.8% tried). The most common sources of information were friends and social media (64.4% and 46.7%, respectively).

Significant associations between information sources and modifications included non-social media websites and vape shops with re-wicking and recharging disposable devices and modifying nicotine e-liquid; non-social media websites with refilling rechargeable cartridges/pods and disposable pods; and social media with recharging disposable devices and mixing nicotine and cannabis liquids. There were associations seen for perceptions of reduced harm and "coolness" with various modifications.

"Future research should examine whether vaping-modified ENDS confers respiratory harm and nicotine toxicity," the authors write. "Prevention and educational efforts should include the risks of modifications such as explosions and burns, as well as address cannabis vaping, given its high prevalence among AYAs who vape nicotine."

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-06-teens-young-adults-electronic-nicotine.html

Early Life Stress Can Lead to Substance Use in Adolescents

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by News Medical.

Stress during childhood is associated with earlier substance use in male and female adolescents, according to a study presented Saturday at ENDO 2024, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in Boston, Mass. Traumatic events may increase substance use risk for males, while environmental stress and early puberty may increase the risk for females, the researchers found.

Early life stress is children's experiences of abuse, neglect and conflict. Approximately 20% of adolescents in the United States have experienced early life stress at some point, and these experiences influence adolescent and adult health behavior outcomes.

Donovan and colleagues evaluated sex differences in the impact of puberty and stress on alcohol, nicotine and cannabis use by the age of 13. They analyzed data from 8,608 male and female participants in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, who were 9 or 10 years old when the study began. The study included data from the first three years of the ABCD study.

The researchers looked at the effects of early life stress and found it increased the likelihood of earlier use of alcohol, nicotine or cannabis use across both males and females.

Early life stress increased the likelihood of earlier substance use for males by 9-18% and for females by 13-20%. Environmental stress increased the likelihood of early use of nicotine and cannabis in females by 15-24%. Traumatic event stress increased the likelihood in males by 15-16%. Higher pubertal development scores increased the likelihood of earlier nicotine use for females while decreasing the likelihood for males.

Source: News Medical
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20240603/Early-life-stress-can-lead-to-substance-use-in-male-and-female-adolescents.aspx

Health Risks of Using Cannabis are Higher in Adolescents Than in Adults

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by MedicalXpress.

Using cannabis on a regular basis may be significantly more dangerous for adolescents than adults, with adolescents showing higher levels of cannabis use disorder and reporting greater negative impacts on daily functioning than adults, in a new study led by the University of Bath in the UK.

The study, published in the European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, is a collaboration between the University of Bath, Kings College London and University College London.

It's the first to show that the quantity and strength of cannabis consumed does not account for the increased vulnerability to cannabis use disorder seen in young people.

For the study, 70 adults (aged 26 to 29) and 76 adolescents (aged 16 to 17)—all frequently using cannabis—were assessed every three months over the course of a year.

"Our analysis shows that adolescents scored consistently higher on a measure of cannabis use disorder symptoms over a 12-month period, compared to adults," said study first author Dr. Rachel Lees.

Most people who use cannabis will not experience serious long-term harms; however, around a quarter are thought to develop a cannabis use disorder, with adolescents showing greater vulnerability.

Dr. Lees said, "We found that 70% of the adolescents reported having failed to do what was normally expected of them because of using cannabis, whereas only 20% of the adults reported having experienced this. Also, 80% of the adolescents reported devoting a great deal of time to getting, using or recovering from cannabis use, compared to 50% of the adults.

"This is concerning as this group may not be aware of the symptoms of cannabis use disorder and may perceive cannabis to be associated with a low level of risk for harm."

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-05-health-cannabis-higher-adolescents-adults.html

Study Shows Alarming Rise of Electronic Vaping Use in US Adolescents

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by MedicalXpress.

Electronic vapor products (EVPs), also known as e-cigarettes or vaping devices, have an allure because of their marketed image as a safer alternative to traditional cigarette smoking and for their variety of appealing flavors.

Yet, they contain many substances beyond nicotine, including propylene glycol, glycerin, flavorings and potentially harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde and metals, which could pose significant health risks such as respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Vaping also is strongly linked with a serious medical condition that damages the lungs due to the vitamin E acetate, an additive used in tetrahydrocannabinol-containing e-cigarettes.

Researchers from Florida Atlantic University's Schmidt College of Medicine explored temporal trends in EVP use from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey for ninth through 12th grades among 57,006 subjects from 2015 (earliest available data) to 2021 (most recently available data) from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Results of the study, published online ahead of print in Ochsner Journal, show alarming statistically significant and clinically important increases of the daily use of EVPs in U.S. adolescents.

Daily use of EVPs increased from 2% in 2015 to 7.2% in 2019, greater than three-and-one-half times increase. Although the percentage decreased to 5% in 2021, it was still more than a two-and-one-half increase since 2015. The researchers speculate that the effects of COVID-19, which included lockdowns and remote schooling, may have contributed to the decrease in 2021 but cautioned that further research is warranted.

Findings also show that in 2015, the percentage of EVP use was significantly higher in boys (2.8%) than girls (1.1%). By 2021, the percentage of EVP use was higher in girls (5.6%) than boys (4.5%), a one-and-one-quarter increase.

"EVP use increases risks of nicotine addiction, drug-seeking behavior, mood disorders and long-term risks of avoidable premature morbidities and mortality," said Charles H. Hennekens, M.D., Dr.PH, first author, first Sir Richard Doll Professor of Medicine and senior academic advisor, FAU Schmidt College of Medicine.

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-05-alarming-electronic-vaping-adolescents.html

High Potency Cannabis Use in Teens Doubles Risk of Psychotic Episodes

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by Medical Daily.

Regular cannabis use is associated with the risk of mental health issues, including anxiety and depression. The use of high-potency cannabis in teen years almost doubles the risk of developing psychotic episodes in early adulthood compared to the use of those with lower potency, a study revealed.

Earlier studies have shown that the concentration of THC, the main psychoactive component of cannabis, has increased by 14% in the last five decades. In the latest study from the University of Bath published in the scientific journal, Addiction, researchers examined the link between early adolescent psychosis and cannabis potency.

The researchers used the Children of the 90s study, which had data of around 14,000 individuals from the time of their birth. The participants were asked about their cannabis use between the ages of 16 to 18. They were also inquired about the primary cannabis type and incidence of psychotic experiences such as hallucinations or delusions by the age of 24.

"Young people using higher-potency forms of cannabis are twice as likely to have experiences associated with psychosis, such as hallucinations and delusions. Importantly, the young people we asked had not previously reported these experiences before starting their cannabis use. This adds to the evidence that use of higher-potency cannabis may negatively impact mental health," the lead author, Dr. Lindsey Hines from the University of Bath Department of Psychology, said in a news release.

Source: Medical Daily
https://www.medicaldaily.com/high-potency-cannabis-use-teens-doubles-risk-psychotic-episodes-study-471738