Prospective association of e‐cigarette and cigarette use with alcohol use in 2 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