Comparing the Consumption Frequency of Foods with Added Sugar Among Young Adult Cigarette Smokers, Vapers, Dual Users, and Nonsmokers

Objective: To determine the consumption frequency of foods with added sugar among smoking groups: nonsmokers, cigarette smokers, vapers, and dual users in young adults ages 18-24.

Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted using an online Qualtrics survey that included questions on demographics, smoking habits, and added sugar content and was distributed across multiple platforms for 3 months. There were 47 qualifying participants that completed the survey.

Results: There were not many cigarette user or dual user respondents, so the groups studied were modified to nonsmokers and vapers+dual users (VDU) and nonsmokers vs. nicotine users that consisted of cigarette smokers, e-cigarette users, and dual users. There were 30 (63.8%) nonsmokers, 16 (34.1%) VDU, and 17 or 36.2% of all nicotine users recorded. The added sugar consumption frequency by the three groups was similar with scores of 1.37, 1.50, and 1.54 for nonsmokers, vapers+dual users, and nicotine users, respectively.

Conclusion: There was a high number of reported vapers in this study, and nonsmokers had the lowest added sugar consumption frequency closely followed by the VDU and all nicotine users group. All groups studied had relatively low added sugar scores. More research is needed to successfully compare the added sugar content of the four intended groups.

Policy Implications: Anti-vaping policies should be targeted to this group.