Some e-cigarette brands have begun offering “boost” modes (aka “pulse” or “turbo”). Our objectives were to (1) Determine the prevalence of boost mode utilisation among adolescents and young adults (AYAs) and (2) Identify the personal and tobacco-use characteristics of AYAs who use boost mode.
Cross-sectional survey from January to July 2025.
n=267 AYAs (M age=21.4, SD=2.3, range 14–25) who lived in the US and had used an e-cigarette at least once within the last 30 days. All participants completed a video conference call with study staff before being sent the online survey.
AYAs were asked: “Does the e-cigarette or vaping device that you use most often have a “boost” or “pulse” function?”. Those who responded “yes” were asked, “How often do you use the “boost” or “pulse” function?”.
55.1% of participants had a device with boost mode. Of these, 54.4% used it “just now and then” or “sometimes”, and 27.9% used it “very often” or “always”. Participants whose device had (vs did not have) a boost mode were younger, had lower socioeconomic status, used their e-cigarette more frequently (every day or almost every day) and had higher scores on the E-cigarette Dependence Scale. There were no differences by Hooked on Nicotine Checklist score, gender, race and ethnicity or use of other tobacco products.
If, as brands claim, boost modes alter e-cigarette aerosol production, they likely have implications for AYA nicotine addiction and health effects. Longitudinal and laboratory investigations on boost modes are urgently needed.