| Summary: | Introduction
The use of e-cigarettes (EC) has reached alarming proportions among
Malaysians. On a national level, little is known about the profile and perceptions
of Malaysian EC users. This study aimed to explore the prevalence of long-term
EC usage and its associated factors among EC users in Malaysia.
Methods
This nationwide online questionnaire survey was administered among 694
EC users across 13 states and 1 Federal Territory in Malaysia, between January and
April 2018. A survey link was e-mailed to EC users that were recruited from an
official national vape entity through their Facebook association page. We obtained
information on respondents’ sociodemographic characteristics, smoking habits,
long-term e-cigarette usage and perceptions of EC use. We estimated long-term
EC user prevalence and fitted multivariate regression models to predict factors
associated with long-term EC usage. Statistical significance was set at p 30 years (68.1%)
and tertiary educated (71%). The majority were employed (93.1%) with a monthly
household income of MYR 4000 or less (56.6%). About 84% were former smokers,
while 10% were current smokers. The prevalence of long-term EC usage in this
study was 82.3%. Most users believed that EC had helped them to cut down
tobacco smoking (94.8%), reduced the urge to smoke (88.3%) and ultimately
helped them to quit smoking (87.2%). Respondents aged >30 years and those
who perceived that EC has helped them stop smoking were significantly more
likely to be long-term EC users.
Conclusions
Most respondents engaged in EC use to quit smoking. They were more
likely to be long-term EC users if they were older and perceived that EC has
helped them to quit smoking. This information is valuable for targeted prevention,
health promotion and policy regulations.
|
|---|
