| Summary: | Background
E-cigarettes have had a strong growth in Mexico, especially among
adolescents. These products are advertised as technology advanced products and
their increased use may reflect a tendency to adopt new technologies. The
concept of "technophilia" draws attention to the "pleasure, affection, and
emotional qualities" that accompanies new technology. The aim of this study is
to explore and validate a technophilia index among a cohort of Mexican youth,
and to evaluate the association with e-cigarette trial and use.
Methods
We analyzed cross-sectional data from 8747 students from the three
largest cities in Mexico. To develop the technophilia index we evaluated eight
questions related to internet use. To validate this scale, we used an
explanatory factor analysis on the overall item set. We used linear and
multinomial logistic regressions to evaluate the association between the
technophilia index and e-cigarette trial/use, and having used e-cigarette as
the first tobacco product.
Results
Study results showed a dose-response association between technophilia
index and e-cigarette trial (OR=1.48, 95% CI 1.26-1.75, Quartile 4 vs. Quartile
1). Moreover, Mexican adolescents with high levels of technophilia were more
likely to have used e-cigarettes as their first tobacco product (OR=1.78, 95%
CI 1.31-2.42, Quartile 4 vs. Quartile 1).
Conclusions
Results from this study suggest that e-cigarette trial is characterized
by greater technophilia among youth. This study highlights the need for
research in this area, so that effective strategies may be developed to address
these risk factors.
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