Study finds LGBTQ+ people are using vapes at significantly higher rates

As vaping continues to gain popularity, a report from the surgeon general's office on Tuesday highlights that the LGBTQ+ community in the U.S.A. play a significant role in sustaining smoke shops.

According to ‘NBC News’, the 837-page report on tobacco use, issued by the surgeon general, indicates that 37.8% of gay, lesbian, and bisexual U.S.A. adults have experimented with electronic cigarettes, compared to only 16.5% of heterosexual adults. These electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes, encompass e-cigars, e-pipes, e-hookahs, vaping pens, and hookah pens.

Further analysis of data collected between 2019 and 2021 reveals that nearly half of bisexual adults have tried e-cigarettes, in contrast to 31.8% of gay men and 26.7% of lesbians. The report’s authors pointed out that comprehensive data on transgender individuals' tobacco use was not accessible for analysis in all sections of the study.

The report also identifies similar disparities among the country's youth and young adults: Over 42% of young adults and 56% of high school students who identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual have tried e-cigarettes, compared to 30.3% and 49.8% of their straight peers.

“Tobacco use is a singular health threat to LGBTQAI+ communities,” according to Kristy Marynak, a senior science adviser at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and co-editor of the report. “This report finds that nearly 1 in 5 of all deaths in the United States are caused by tobacco, highlighting the disproportionate burden on certain groups, including LGBTQAI+ communities.”

Marynak highlighted that the study—and the federal government in general—classifies nicotine-containing products, such as e-cigarettes, as tobacco products, excluding therapeutic products like nicotine gum and patches.

Long-term health outcomes of e-cigarettes remain largely unknown due to their recent emergence, yet there is a clear consensus on the harmful effects of certain common chemicals in e-cigarettes.

E-cigarettes generate several harmful chemicals—including acetaldehyde, acrolein, and formaldehyde—that can lead to lung and heart disease, according to the American Lung Association.

Nicotine, commonly found in e-cigarettes, is addictive and can exacerbate anxiety or depression. It can also adversely affect brain development until age 25, according to the CDC.

Dr. Scott Hadland, chief of adolescent and young adult medicine at Mass General for Children and Harvard Medical School, has observed increased e-cigarette use among gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth. He attributes the higher tobacco use rates among LGBTQ+ individuals to “long-standing stigma” in healthcare settings.

“LGBTQ+ people might hesitate to seek care to support their quit attempts,” Hadland noted. “They might be reluctant to discuss it with their doctor due to a general fear of healthcare settings.”

LGBTQ+ adults are more than twice as likely as non-LGBTQ+ adults to report negative healthcare experiences in the past three years, as per a KFF report released this year.

Hadland also linked higher e-cigarette usage among LGBTQ+ U.S.A. adults to marketing strategies, as outlined in the report.

In the mid-1990s, tobacco companies targeted the LGBTQ+ community directly, including through ‘Project Scum,’ which marketed Camel and Red Kamel cigarettes to “consumer subcultures” in San Francisco, according to the study.

Currently, tobacco companies place ads in queer magazines and support organisations that advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and Pride events, according to the report.

The surgeon general’s office issued its first report on smoking hazards in 1964 and has since devoted significant resources to reducing cigarette use. The recent report highlights that these efforts have been largely successful, with only 11.5% of U.S.A. adults smoking cigarettes in 2021, down from 42.4% in 1965.

Nonetheless, 36 million U.S.A. adults and 760,000 middle and high school students use tobacco products, as noted in the report. Since 2014, e-cigarettes have been the most popular tobacco product among U.S.A. youths and young adults.

“These and other noncombustible tobacco products, such as nicotine pouches, risk undermining overall efforts to prevent and reduce tobacco use among young people,” the authors stated.

In June, the Justice Department and Food and Drug Administration announced the formation of a federal multiagency task force to combat the illicit distribution and sale of e-cigarettes.