Fewer than 2 percent of adults reported current use of e-cigarettes; however, 11.2 percent of Montana adults reported they used e-cigarettes at least once, according to a recent study from the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services.

Using data from the 2013 Montana Adult Tobacco Survey, researchers found that the average age of Montana adults who reported use of e-cigarettes was 30. Among respondents who reported ever using e-cigarettes, 71 percent were current cigarette smokers. Young adults were more likely than older adults to ever have used e-cigarettes.

Among respondents who were current cigarette smokers, over half reported ever using e-cigarettes. This is markedly higher than the prevalence of e-cigarette use reported by former cigarette smokers, users of other smoking and smokeless tobacco, and non-smokers. Nearly 10 percent of cigarette smokers also reported current use of e-cigarettes. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of e-cigarette use by sex or by race.

Researchers found that the most frequently reported reasons for initiating e-cigarette use were "to try something new (curiosity)" and "to quit/reduce cigarette use." Just over half of respondents indicated initiating use because "e-cigarettes are less harmful than cigarettes". Fewer respondents tried e-cigarettes because of smoke restrictions, taste preference, or cost savings. Most younger adult e-cigarette users reported they wanted to try something new. In contrast, older adult e-cigarette users were more likely to report they wanted to quit or reduce cigarette use.

Study: Prevalence and Reasons for Initiating Use of Electronic Cigarettes Among Adults in Montana, 2013, Lisa Schmidt, MPH, ATC, Preventing Chronic Disease, doi: 10.5888/pcd11.140283, published 20 November 2014.