J Am Coll Health. 2022 Jun 21:1-7. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2022.2086010. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This longitudinal study tested the relationship between cigarette and e-cigarette use and SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion among US college students.
PARTICIPANTS: Undergraduate students (n = 764), drawn from a randomly selected invitation-only pool from a large Midwestern university, that were initially negative for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and were re-tested in November were included in this study conducted in Fall 2020.
METHODS: Demographics and cigarette and e-cigarette use behaviors (nicotine use) were collected in a baseline survey. SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests were administered in September (baseline) and November (endline) of 2020. Log-binomial regression analyses were conducted to test the association between nicotine use and SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion.
RESULTS: SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion was 5.2%. No statistically significant associations were found between nicotine use and SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion.
CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to prior results, we found no association between nicotine use and SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion. Nicotine use may not be a key risk factor for COVID-19 acquisition in predominantly healthy college-aged populations.
PMID:35728069 | DOI:10.1080/07448481.2022.2086010
