E-Cigarette Use Among Older Adults with Chronic Spinal Cord Injury: Relationship With History of Cigarette Smoking.
James S Krause, Clara E Dismuke-Greer, Melinda Jarnecke and 1 others
PMID 41477081WHAT IT FOUND
About 16% of adults with chronic spinal cord injury have tried e-cigarettes, and 4.9% currently use them.
History of cigarette smoking and younger age were strongly associated with this use. Injury severity was not related to vaping.
Key findings
01Among adults with chronic spinal cord injury, 16.3% reported ever using e-cigarettes and 4.9% reported current use.
02A history of cigarette smoking was a strong risk factor, with those who had ever smoked having 3.55 times the odds of having used e-cigarettes compared to never smokers.
03Injury severity, as measured by neurologic level and ambulatory status, was not significantly associated with e-cigarette use.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Data on smoking and e-cigarette use were self-reported, which carries a risk of inaccuracy due to recall error or social desirability bias. The cohort was relatively old (average age 56.7 years) and well removed from their initial injury (average 24 years since onset), so findings may not generalize to younger individuals or those in the acute rehabilitation phase. The study did not measure the quantity of e-cigarette use or its relationship with specific SCI outcomes. Participants were drawn from specific geographic regions (Midwest and southeastern US), which may limit generalizability to other areas.
Declared interests
The investigators have no financial or nonfinancial disclosures to make in relation to this project.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that patients with more severe injuries are less likely to vape. The study found no significant relationship between injury severity and e-cigarette use, meaning that patients with high-level injuries are just as likely to use e-cigarettes as those with lower-level injuries.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →