Teens’ e-cigarette use rises as spending on advertising soars, says CDC

As spending on e-cigarette advertising has risen in the United States, there has been a nearly 10-fold increase in e-cigarette use by high school students, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report released on 5 January.1

The report said that spending on e-cigarette advertising rose from $6.4m (£4.4m; €6m) in 2011 to an estimated $115m in 2014. Over the same period e-cigarette use among youth has risen. Reported use of e-cigarettes in the past 30 days among high school students increased from 1.5% in 2011 to 13.4% in 2014 and among middle school students from 1.6% to 3.9%, the report said.

The CDC’s director, Tom Frieden, said that advertisements used many of the same themes that were used to sell cigarettes, including “independence, rebellion, and sex.” …