CDC: E-cig ads led to increased youth smoking rates

A new government study sheds light on the popularity of electronic cigarettes among youth.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that teenagers who are exposed to e-cigarette advertisements are more likely to vape.

“Kids should not use any type of tobacco product, including e-cigarettes,” CDC Director Tom Frieden said in a statement. “Exposure to e-cigarette advertising is associated with youth e-cigarette use.”

An analysis of the National Youth Tobacco Survey revealed that 13.4 percent of high school students used e-cigarettes in 2014, up from 1.5 percent three years earlier.

The dramatic increase in e-cigarettes usage among youth correlates with the rise in spending on e-cigarette advertisements to $115 million in 2014, up from $6.4 million in 2011.

“CDC researchers found that the greater the exposure to e-cigarette advertisements among middle and high school students, the greater the odds of their e-cigarette use,” the agency wrote.

More than 22,000 middle and high school students participating in the tobacco survey.