Nicotine dependence among undergraduates who use nicotine salt-based e-cigarettes

ObjectiveThis study examined the relationship between use patterns of a popular e-cigarette brand using nicotine salts, JUUL, and symptoms of nicotine dependence in a college cohort.ParticipantsData for this study came from a prospective cohort of undergraduate students at a large Midwestern university from 2018 to 2019.MethodsAmong participants who had ever tried a JUUL (N = 411), univariate and multivariable logistic regression were used to test the associations between use frequency (past 30-day use) and quantity (time to finish a pod) and nicotine dependence at follow up.ResultsIn the multivariable models, both frequency of use and quantity of use were associated with subsequent nicotine dependence, based on most indicators of dependence.ConclusionsAs salt-based nicotine is now present in the most popular e-cigarette brands used by young people, such findings inform our contemporary understanding of e-cigarettes' addictive potential and can help inform campus-based interventions.