Boakye E, Osuji N, Erhabor J, Obisesan O, Osei AD, El Shahawy O, Blaha MJ.
Healthcare Provider Screening for Tobacco Product and Electronic Cigarette Use among Youth in the United States.
J Adolesc Health. 2023 May;72(5):819-822. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2022.12.004. Epub 2023 Jan 6. PMID: 36621392; PMCID: PMC10121729.

Purpose. Healthcare providers play a critical role in curbing youth tobacco use through screening and counseling. Current rates of tobacco use screening by healthcare providers among US youth are unknown.

Methods. We used 2020 National Youth Tobacco Survey data to examine the prevalence of healthcare provider screening for tobacco and e-cigarette use among US youth. Using multivariable logistic regression, we examined the factors associated with being screened for tobacco use.

Results. Of 13,434 individuals who reported past 12-month visits to any healthcare professional, 47.5% (44.8%-50.1%) reported being screened for any tobacco use, while 31.5% (29.2%-40.0%) reported e-cigarette-specific screening. The odds of tobacco use screening were lower among males (odds ratio [OR]: 0.81 [0.73-0.89]) and middle schoolers (OR: 0.39 [0.33-0.44]) compared to females and high schoolers, respectively. In addition, non-Hispanic Black (OR: 0.71 [0.56-0.89]), Hispanic (OR: 0.76 [0.63-0.92]), and Asian youth (OR: 0.48 [0.37-0.63]) had lower odds of being screened than non-Hispanic White youth.

Discussion. There are missed opportunities in tobacco screening by healthcare providers, particularly among males, middle schoolers, and racial/ethnic minority youth.