Asthma prevalence among US 9th-12th graders who report past 30-day cannabis use in 2019

Authors

Kevin D. Silverman, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, The City University of New York, New York, New York, USA.
Keely Cheslack-Postava, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA.
Deepa Rastogi, Department of Pediatrics, George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
Luisa N. Borrell, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, The City University of New York, New York, New York, USA.
Renee D. Goodwin, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, The City University of New York, New York, New York, USA.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

4-1-2024

Journal

Pediatric pulmonology

Volume

59

Issue

4

DOI

10.1002/ppul.26840

Keywords

cannabis; epidemiology; respiratory disease; tobacco; youth

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Little is known about the relationship between cannabis use and asthma among youth in the US. The aims of this study were to estimate prevalence of asthma among youth who reported any cannabis use in the past 30 days, relative to those who did not, and to investigate the relationship between frequency of cannabis use and prevalence of asthma, adjusting for demographic characteristics and cigarette use. METHODS: Data were drawn from the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), a CDC national high school survey, which collects data from students in grades 9-12 across the US bi-annually. Logistic regression was used to examine the prevalence of asthma among youth who reported any past 30-day cannabis use, relative to no use, and by frequency of cannabis use, adjusting for demographic characteristics and cigarette use. RESULTS: Asthma was more common among youth who reported any cannabis use, relative to youth who reported no use (29.07% vs. 23.62%; AOR = 1.25 (1.20, 1.30)). Asthma was greater among youth who reported more frequent cannabis use; asthma was highest among youth who reported having used cannabis "40 or more times" in the month (31.38%; AOR = 1.35 (1.25, 1.45)) CONCLUSION: Asthma is more common among youth who use cannabis, relative to those who do not, and the prevalence of asthma increases with frequency of use among 9th-12th graders in the US. More public health and clinical research is needed quickly to produce scientific data that can inform clinical guidelines and public health policy, as well as parents and youth, on the potential relationship between cannabis use and respiratory health among youth.

APA Citation

Silverman, Kevin D.; Cheslack-Postava, Keely; Rastogi, Deepa; Borrell, Luisa N.; and Goodwin, Renee D., "Asthma prevalence among US 9th-12th graders who report past 30-day cannabis use in 2019" (2024). GW Authored Works. Paper 4837.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/4837

Department

Pediatrics