(HealthNewsDigest.com) - In 2011, about 21 percent of adults who smoke traditional cigarettes had used electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes, up from about 10 percent in 2010, according to a study released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Overall, about six percent of all adults have tried e-cigarettes, with estimates nearly doubling from 2010.  This study is the first to report changes in awareness and use of e-cigarettes between 2010 and 2011.

During 2010-2011, adults who have used e-cigarettes increased among both sexes, non-Hispanic Whites, those aged 45-54 years, those living in the South, and current and former smokers and current and former smokers.  In both 2010 and 2011, e-cigarette use was significantly higher among current smokers compared to both former and never smokers.  Awareness of e-cigarettes rose from about four in 10 adults in 2010 to six in 10 adults in 2011.

"E-cigarette use is growing rapidly," said CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD, MPH. "There is still a lot we don't know about these products, including whether they will decrease or increase use of traditional cigarettes."

Although e-cigarettes appear to have far fewer of the toxins found in smoke compared to traditional cigarettes, the impact of e-cigarettes on long-term health must be studied.  Research is needed to assess how e-cigarette marketing could impact initiation and use of traditional cigarettes, particularly among young people.

"If large numbers of adult smokers become users of both traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes - rather than using e-cigarettes to quit cigarettes completely - the net public health effect could be quite negative." said Tim McAfee, MD MPH, director of the Office on Smoking and Health at CDC.

For quitting assistance, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) or visit www.smokefree.gov. Also, visit www.BeTobaccoFree.gov for information on quitting and preventing children from using tobacco.  For stories of people who have quit successfully, visit http://www.cdc.gov/tips.

###

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

CDC works 24/7 saving lives and protecting people from health threats to have a more secure nation.  Whether these threats are chronic or acute, manmade or natural, human error or deliberate attack, global or domestic, CDC is the U.S. health protection agency.

###

For advertising and promotion on www.HealthNewsDigest.com contact Mike McCurdy at: tvmike13@healthnewsdigest.com  or call 877-634-9180. We are syndicated worldwide and read in 164 countries. We also have over 7,000 journalists as subscribers who may use our content for their own media!