Currently submitted to: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Apr 8, 2025
Open Peer Review Period: Apr 8, 2025 - Jun 3, 2025
(currently open for review)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Real-time antecedents of young adults’ vaping and co-vaping of nicotine and cannabis
ABSTRACT
Background:
Nicotine and cannabis vaping are common among young adults, potentially leading to adverse health consequences. Identifying real-time antecedents of vaping events may provide insights into intervention targets pertinent to these behaviors.
Objective:
This study aimed to examine real-time antecedents of nicotine and cannabis vaping and same-moment co-vaping among young adults.
Methods:
We collected ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) via smartphone app among California young adults (ages 18-29) in 2023-2024. Participants completed four random prompts each day for 30 days. Outcomes were defined as whether participants reported being about to vape nicotine, cannabis, or both substances (same-occasion co-vaping) in a given EMA. We used mixed-effects logistic regression models to examine real-time antecedents of each outcome.
Results:
Overall, 113 participants (mean age 23.8 years, 63% female) completed 9,001 EMAs. Similar antecedents of all three vaping outcomes were craving and using alcohol. Increased cravings for a given substance were associated with a higher likelihood of vaping that substance or co-vaping. Craving for cannabis vaping was associated with lower odds of reporting nicotine vaping. Feeling happier was associated with higher odds of reporting co-vaping while feeling more stressed was associated with lower odds of vaping nicotine or cannabis. Seeing tobacco advertisements was associated with higher odds of vaping nicotine and co-vaping. Cannabis vaping and co-vaping were more likely to occur in the afternoon and nighttime than in the morning.
Conclusions:
We found similar antecedents (craving, alcohol use) and unique antecedents (mood, advertising exposure, and time of day) for nicotine vaping, cannabis vaping, and same-occasion co-vaping, suggesting targets for future vaping cessation interventions.
Citation
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Copyright
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