E-cigarettes are the most widely used nicotine product among adolescents and young adults (AYA) (Park-Lee et al., 2022), and are used by a sizeable proportion of adults (Boakye et al., 2022). Despite mounting evidence of frequent e-cigarette use (Gentzke et al., 2022) and nicotine dependence (Lin et al., 2022, Chaffee et al., 2022, Morean et al., 2018, Vogel et al., 2020) among AYAs who use e-cigarettes, and studies addressing individual topics regarding AYA e-cigarette cessation such as desire to quit, reasons for quitting, or quit methods, it remains unknown how AYA cigarette and/or e-cigarette users perceive and utilize different and multiple aspects of cessation. Adults exhibit a different pattern of e-cigarette use compared with AYAs, with some adults initiating e-cigarettes as a method to quit traditional combustible cigarettes (Mayer et al., 2020). However, there is concern that using e-cigarettes to quit cigarette use may lead to prolonged e-cigarette usage or even dual-use (Palmer et al., 2022). Relatively little research explores adults’ attempts to then quit e-cigarette products completely (Dyson et al., 2022).

Both AYAs and adults report a desire to quit e-cigarettes. A study utilizing data from the Wave 4 PATH Study (Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health) showed that 60.7 % of adult e-cigarette users endorsed future plans to quit e-cigarettes, and 15.3 % endorsed a past-year quit attempt (Palmer et al., 2021). The 2021 NYTS data demonstrated that nearly 2/3 of adolescents who used any tobacco product reported seriously thinking about quitting, although NYTS data did not differentiate between e-cigarettes and other tobacco products (Gentzke et al., 2022). Another study found that 54.2 % of adolescent e-cigarette users reported general intentions to quit, 15.3 % reported intention to quit within 30 days, and one-third had a past-year quit attempt (Cuccia et al., 2021). Numerous studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that adolescents and young adults (AYA), and some adults, were interested in and did try to quit tobacco, including e-cigarettes, during the pandemic (Benowitz et al., 2022, Gaiha et al., 2020). An early focus group study found that the top reason for e-cigarette discontinuation among adolescents was loss of interest; (Kong et al., 2015) however, study data were collected in 2018 while e-cigarettes were gaining popularity (Cullen et al., 2018) and there have been many changes in e-cigarette devices and nicotine since, which may make it harder to quit. A few other more recent studies found that the primary reason for AYA wanting to quit e-cigarettes was concern over risk or harm to health (Palmer et al., 2022, Garey et al., 2021, Ahuja et al., 2022), including concerns over lung health, and that the most frequently endorsed cessation intervention methods were those delivered via digital methods (Garey et al., 2021).

Little is known about how AYAs and adults attempt to quit e-cigarettes, and why AYA desire to quit e-cigarettes. Current American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines place a strong emphasis on anticipatory guidance and screening to prevent AYA tobacco exposure, but notes that scientific evidence for effective AYA cessation from both combustible cigarettes and e-cigarettes remains limited (Groner et al., 2015). Many clinical methods used to support adolescent e-cigarette cessation, such as behavioral therapy or nicotine replacement therapy, are extrapolated from methods used for adult cigarette smokers (Rosen and Sockrider, 2022), but it is currently unclear if cessation patterns and behaviors differ between e-cigarette users versus combustible cigarette users, and between AYAs and adults. Even among adults, there is limited evidence on how to support e-cigarette cessation in a clinical setting (Dyson et al., 2022).

This study utilizes a national, cross-sectional online survey of participants aged 13–40 years to examine reasons for quitting e-cigarettes, methods used to quit, and outcomes of quit attempts among AYAs and adults. Further, we compare reasons and methods used for quitting e-cigarettes to those for combustible cigarettes. Such data are critical to tailor education, prevention, and cessation programs to support a growing population of e-cigarette users who desire to quit.