Doctors have found that in the past three years, American minors have been regularly trying not only electronic cigarettes, but also nicotine gum and candy. Approximately 3.4% of surveyed minors were reported to have done so in an anonymous survey. This study was published in the journal Pediatrics, as reported by the USC News.
Source: David McNew/Getty.
Surprisingly, nicotine gum and lollipops are almost as popular among teenagers as electronic cigarettes, according to researchers at the University of Southern California. This trend is particularly concerning because these products contain high levels of nicotine, which can be harmful to adolescents, and they are easy to conceal from parents and other adults, said Alyssa Harlow, a researcher quoted by the university's news department.
Scientists have analyzed the results of a regular anonymous survey of American teenagers. 3500 young residents of Southern California participated in the survey.
As in previous years, electronic cigarettes in various forms have taken the top spot as the most popular nicotine products among teenagers - with 9.6% and 5.5% of them trying and consuming them regularly. Second on the list are various nicotine-laced candy, pastries, gum, jams and other edible tobacco alternatives. About 3.4% and 1.7% of California teenagers and children have tried them at least once, and use them occasionally or frequently, with Latin American, ethnic minority and young girls being particularly common users. Classic tobacco cigarettes, hookah and cigars only came in third on the list - with only 2% and 1.3% of respondents trying or consuming them regularly.
According to scientists, the U.S. national monitoring program currently does not take into account that children and adolescents not only have access to tobacco products and electronic cigarettes, but also to edible sources of nicotine. Therefore, scientists cannot yet determine whether the use of nicotine lollipops, gum and other similar products by young people will lead to a subsequent switch to tobacco cigarettes and the development of other harmful habits.
Researchers hope that these factors will encourage relevant institutions to launch new monitoring projects to study how the consumption of nicotine-infused food affects the health of children and adolescents comprehensively. Scientists conclude that this is necessary for developing measures to combat this phenomenon.
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