Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39962478›Full record

SynthesisBMC public health2025

The role of sweet/fruit-flavored disposable electronic cigarettes on early nicotine initiation - a systematic review.

Paulina Natalia Kopa-Stojak, Rafal Pawliczak

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Toxicity and Appeal of Flavoured E-Cigarettes and Flavour Ban Outcomes: A Narrative Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Paulina Natalia Kopa-StojakDepartment of Immunopathology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland.
Rafal PawliczakDepartment of Immunopathology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland. rafal.pawliczak@csk.umed.lodz.pl.

Funding

Uniwersytet Medyczny w Lodzi 503/0-149-03/503-01-001-19-00
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSweet/fruit disposable e-cigarettes (ECs) are cheap, easy to use, and look like inconspicuous colored markers, which encourages young people and young adults to use them. This work attempts to summarize current knowledge about the effect of sweet/fruit-flavor disposable ECs on early nicotine initiation.

methodsThe literature search was performed in June 2024 in Pub Med, Scopus, Web of Science and Science Direct databases by the terms 'ends', 'electronic nicotine delivery system', 'disposable electronic cigarette', 'disposable e-cigarette', 'cig-a-like e-cigarette', 'cig-a-like electronic cigarette', 'nicotine initiation'.

resultsThis systematic review analyzes findings from four heterogenous US studies. All analyzed studies highlighted that sweet/fruit-flavored ECs, compared to mint/menthol- or tobacco-flavors, were the most commonly chosen by youths and young adults during initiation and progression of vaping, regardless of the device type. Furthermore, two studies determined that never-smokers mostly start vaping by using modifiable ECs compared to disposable EC devices. Moreover, all studies showed that initiation by using disposable ECs was lower in people who had never previously vaped or smoked compared to current/former ECs users and former tobacco cigarettes (TCs) smokers or dual users.

conclusionsDue to limited number of studies, their limited location, scope (mostly ever users aged ≥ 18), and moderate quality of the studies, it is difficult to clearly determine the effect of sweet/fruit-flavored disposable ECs on early nicotine initiation. Moreover, it is difficult to determine if sweet/fruit-flavored disposable EC have a role in the avoiding the initiation of tobacco cigarettes or delaying the initiation by the effect of competition. The findings from this systematic review are preliminary and require validation through high-quality, global studies among youth and young adult never-smokers/never-vapers who initiated using tobacco products with sweet/fruit-flavored disposable ECs and continue vaping and/or smoking any tobacco products (and any flavors).

trial registrationThe study protocol of this systematic review was registered in International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) with registration number CRD42024585153.

Indexed as

Electronic Nicotine Delivery SystemsFlavoring AgentsFruitNicotineVapingAdolescentAdultHumansYoung AdultFlavoring AgentsNicotineCig-a-like e-cigaretteDisposable e-cigaretteEarly nicotine initiationSweet/ fruit-flavored e-liquidYouths

Identifiers

PMID39962478
PMCPMC11834490

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.