Introduction:
We explored the predictors for past 30-days e-cigarette use among adolescents in Armenia, with the goal of informing evidence-based interventions and regulatory measures to address the emerging public health concern of youth e-cigarette use.

Methods:
We conducted a survey in the capital Yerevan and an adjacent region in February 2023. Study participants were 15-17 years old students of private and public high schools. The instrument contained items on adolescents’ socio-demographics, ever and past 30-days e-cigarette use, and main reasons for ever using e-cigarettes. Multivariable regression explored the association between past 30-days e-cigarette use (categorized as used/not used) and the most common three reasons for ever using, while adjusting for gender, parental employment, school type, and residency area.

Results:
Overall, 366 adolescents completed the survey. The majority were females (64.4%), living in Yerevan (71.3%), and studying in public schools (77.0%). About 96.5% had employed fathers, while only 76.2% had employed mothers. Ever e-cigarette users (41.7%) reported the main reasons for using as flavors (37.7%), curiosity (33.1%), and friends’ use (18.5%). Majority of ever users (53.7%) used e-cigarettes for at least one day in the past 30 days. In the multivariable logistic regression, those who reported flavors as the main reason for ever using e-cigarettes had higher odds of using them in the past 30-days than those who did not (OR=3.97, p=0.008). Being male vs female (OR=4.21, p=0.004) and attending public vs private school (OR=3.67, p=0.038) were also significantly associated with past 30-days e-cigarette use in the adjusted analysis.

Conclusions:
Our study links past 30-days e-cigarette use in Armenian adolescents to being male, attending public schools, and reporting flavors as the main reason for ever using. To address the escalating youth e-cigarette use in the country, targeted interventions should prioritize male students in public schools and consider banning flavored e-cigarette products.