The effect of e-cigarette and hookah use on the age of asthma onset in the USA
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PROJECT SUMMARY Innovative analysis of existing behavioral data to study the etiology and epidemiology of the age of asthma onset among past 30-day e-cigarette and hookah users is responsive to the scientific interest area on health effects by understanding the short and long-term effects of these tobacco products in the U.S. This proposal focuses on the age of asthma onset in youth and adults. E-cigarettes and hookah are now dominant features of the current tobacco marketplace, and they have the potential to harm the health of users in ways similar to cigarettes. Therefore, estimating the age of asthma onset to evaluate the effect of past 30-day e-cigarette and hookah use among never cigarette users is paramount to protect public health, educate the public, and provide evidence to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Information on an earlier age of asthma onset will quantify and display the potential risk of these tobacco products, which can help prevent people from initiating use or motivate users to quit. In addition, the most effective way to control and treat asthma is with early detection of the disease. Providing information on the age of asthma onset in e-cigarette and hookah users can help provide necessary information to physicians and health care providers on the appropriate age windows for asthma screening in patients who use these tobacco products. We propose to estimate the age asthma of onset using waves 1-5 (and any subsequent waves released during our study period) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study. Two aims are proposed: Aim 1: To estimate the age of asthma onset among youth and adults ages 12-75+ years old, and explore the association between e-cigarette use and the age of asthma onset after controlling for other risk factors. Aim 2: To estimate the age of asthma onset among youth and adults ages 12-75+ years old, and explore the association between hookah use and the age of asthma onset after controlling for other risk factors. Analyses for Aims 1 and 2 will be conducted among never cigarette users to avoid potential confounding from cigarette use. There is a gap in the knowledge related to the age of asthma onset, specifically among e-cigarette and hookah users. The most effective way to establish these associations is with longitudinal, prospective research. Few studies can test hypotheses with longitudinal data on tobacco-related health outcomes, including asthma that is nationally representative of U.S. youth and adults. This project addresses a critical need to understand and guide efforts to provide FDA, the Center for Tobacco Products, and the general public with more information on the effects of using these tobacco products to reduce their public health toll in the United States.
