Prospective association of e-cigarette and cigarette use with alcohol use in two waves of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health

Background and Aims Prior cross-sectional research finds that electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use clusters with higher rates of harmful alcohol consumption in the United States adult population. The current study examined prospectively the association between e-cigarette use, cigarette use and the combined use of e-cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes and alcohol use outcomes. Design A nationally representative multi-wave cohort survey (wave 1: September 2013-December 2014, wave 2: October 2014-October 2015). Setting United States. Participants A representative sample of civilian, non-institutionalized adults who completed waves 1 and 2 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health survey (n = 26 427). Measurements Participants were categorized into exposure groups according to their e-cigarette and cigarette use during wave 1. Past 30-day alcohol use outcomes were (1) National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)-defined hazardous alcohol use, (2) total alcohol drinks consumed and (3) alcohol-related consequences. Findings After controlling for socio-demographic risk factors and alcohol use at wave 1, all exposure groups showed higher odds of hazardous alcohol use [adjusted odds ratios (aORs) = 2.05-2.12, all P < 0.001] and reported higher past-month total drinks (B = 0.46-0.70, all P < 0.001) and more alcohol consequences (B = 0.63-0.89, all P <= 0.10) at wave 2 compared with non-users. Cigarette users (B = 0.24, P = 0.038) and dual e-cigarette/cigarette users (B = 0.32, P = 0.038) reported higher past-month total drinks compared with e-cigarette users. There was no conclusive evidence that non-daily use of e-cigarettes or cigarettes predicted poorer alcohol use outcomes compared with daily use. Conclusions In the United States between 2013 and 2015, after adjustment for socio-demographic characteristics, cigarette and e-cigarette use were associated with alcohol use 1 year later.