A U.S. study found girls ages 15 to 17 had a higher estimated rate of established e-cigarette use than boys in the 2024 survey wave, reversing a pattern in earlier waves.
In the 2024 wave, 7.76% of girls in that age group met the study’s definition, compared with 4.55% of boys. In 2021, the corresponding estimates were 4.87% for girls and 4.19% for boys. The paper reported 95% confidence intervals of 6.42% to 9.10% for girls and 3.71% to 5.40% for boys in 2024.
The research letter, published Oct. 19 in JAMA Pediatrics, used youth-cohort data from the U.S. Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study. It analyzed survey periods from 2014-15 through 2024 among adolescents ages 12 to 17. The paper describes PATH as a large, nationally representative data set. Participants counted as current established users if they reported regular e-cigarette use and use within the previous 30 days.
The historical pattern changed over time. Boys had higher estimated rates in survey waves from 2014 through 2018, and estimates were close around 2018-19, a period the paper describes as a rise in use across both sexes. Girls had higher estimated rates in survey waves from 2021 through 2024. Although PATH follows participants, this analysis compared rates across waves and did not examine individual adolescents’ vaping trajectories.
A separate analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 18.0% of female high school students and 14.2% of male students reported using electronic vapor products in the past 30 days in 2025. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey counted any use at least once during that period, while the PATH analysis required regular use. The surveys also covered different populations, so their percentages should not be read as a direct comparison.
The study did not identify what drove the later change. Its authors listed marketing, risk perceptions, anxiety and peer influence as areas for further research, rather than confirmed explanations. A Medical University of South Carolina summary of the research identified nicotine addiction as a cost for adolescents who vape regularly.
