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From 2012 to 2021, the use of e-cigarettes by adults in the United States increased from 2.2% to 4.5%. During the same time frame, there was a stark increase in use among young adults, ages 18 to 24 years old, from 2.4% to 11%.
To understand factors that led to the escalation, researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham studied how college students perceived the health risks of e-cigarettes compared to traditional cigarettes. The results, published in the Journal of Community Health, showed the perception of the potential harm of e-cigarettes varied based on factors like sex, vaping status, and field of study/work.
“We found that non-users and females were less likely to believe that e-cigarettes were less harmful than traditional cigarettes,” said M.J. Ruzmyn Vilcassim, Ph.D., assistant professor in the UAB School of Public Health and lead author. “Conversely, male vapers and users of pod-type devices were more likely to view the devices as less harmful.”
Among vapers, students in non-health fields were significantly more likely to believe that e-cigarettes are less harmful than regular cigarettes, compared to students in health-related fields. E-cigarettes are also increasingly used as an entry tobacco product by first-time tobacco users and young adults.
When e-cigarettes hit the market, they were branded and viewed as a safer alternative to traditional cigarette smoking. E-cigarettes are not without their own risks. Most contain nicotine, a highly addictive substance, and aerosols in the devices can contain harmful substances, including cancer-causing chemicals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Additionally, the short- and long-term effects of traditional cigarettes are well studied and documented. E-cigarettes and vapes, in contrast, are relatively new, and research into their overall health risks are ongoing.
Previous studies by Ruoyan Sun, Ph.D., assistant professor in the UAB Department of Health Policy and Organization, highlight additional challenges of studying vaping risks compared to traditional cigarettes.
“The majority of cigarette brands contain similar ingredients, concentrations and chemicals; but chemical levels and makeups of e-cigarettes change from product to product,” Sun said. “New products are hitting the market frequently, all with their own unknown health risks that need to be evaluated.”
While health risks continue being studied, Vilcassim notes that understanding how e-cigarettes are perceived is an important step toward mitigation.
“Public perception does not always align with scientific research; however, these perceptions play a crucial role in usage trends of e-cigarettes,” Vilcassim said. “The prevalence of e-cigarette use is high, and growing, among younger demographics. Understanding how they perceive these devices can help us create interventions that educate, and hopefully mitigate, risky health behaviors.”
More information:
M. J. Ruzmyn Vilcassim et al, Perception of Health Risks of Electronic Cigarette Use Among College Students: Examining the Roles of Sex, Field of Study, Vaping Device Type, and Their Associations, Journal of Community Health (2024). DOI: 10.1007/s10900-024-01393-y
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Study reveals diverse perceptions of vaping dangers among students (2025, January 22)
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