ERIC Number: EJ1133543
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Apr
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0017-8969
EISSN: N/A
E-Cigarette Use among US Adolescents: Perceptions of Relative Addiction and Harm
Dobbs, Page Daniel; Hammig, Bart; Henry, Leah Jean
Health Education Journal, v76 n3 p293-301 Apr 2017
Objective: Between 2013 and 2014, past 30-day use of e-cigarettes increased from 4.5% to 13.4% among US high school students aged 9-19 years. We sought to examine the influence of perceived addiction and harm of e-cigarettes on e-cigarette use among adolescents. Design: Self-reported use and perception of harm of e-cigarettes were assessed using a cross-sectional design. Setting: Data were collected from the 2014 National Youth Tobacco Survey. Method: Multivariate logistic regression models were employed regressing lifetime e-cigarette use and past 30-day use on established covariate factors. Results: Perceiving e-cigarettes as less harmful than conventional cigarettes increased students' odds of lifetime use (odds ratio [OR] = 2.40, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.98-2.90) and past 30-day use (OR = 2.18, 95% CI = 1.63-2.92) of e-cigarettes. Perceiving e-cigarettes as less addictive than conventional cigarettes also increased students' odds of lifetime use (OR = 2.11, 95% CI = 1.82-2.45) and past 30-day use (OR = 1.93, 95% CI = 1.57-2.38) of e-cigarettes; however, perceiving e-cigarettes as more addictive than conventional cigarettes also increased students' odds of lifetime use (OR = 1.85, 95% CI = 1.37-2.49) and past 30-day use (OR = 2.68, 95% CI = 1.84-3.90) of e-cigarettes. Other influencing factors of e-cigarette use among youth included race, grade level, living with a smoker and lifetime use of regular cigarettes. Conclusion: The perception that e-cigarettes are less addictive and harmful than their conventional counterparts may be an important risk factor for the use of e-cigarettes. Factors influencing young people's perceptions need to be examined further.
Descriptors: Smoking, Adolescents, Addictive Behavior, Health Behavior, Influences, At Risk Persons, Attitude Measures, Use Studies, Regression (Statistics), National Surveys, Racial Differences, Age Differences, Family Environment, Middle School Students, High School Students, Gender Differences, Multivariate Analysis
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Middle Schools; Secondary Education; Junior High Schools; High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A