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More US adults try vaping but current use is down, data shows

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New research shows 1 in 7 U.S. adults have tried electronic cigarettes. That's an increase but it's offset by a small decline in the number currently using the devices.

The study found that about 3 percent of adults were current users in 2016, down from almost 4 percent in 2014. Adults who have tried them at least once reached just over 15 percent in 2016.

Previous data show recent use among teens declined in 2016 after rising in previous years.

E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that turn liquid often containing nicotine into an inhalable vapor.

They're marketed as a way to help smokers quit but uncertainty over their long-term health effects has raised concerns about their use.

The new study was published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.