| Summary: | Introduction
The use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) in adults is increasing
globally, and similar trends may be observed in the young population. Our
objective was to estimate the awareness and use of e-cigarettes among the students
from two comprehensive universities in Shanghai, China, and to identify the
factors that may influence their decision to use e-cigarettes and their possible
adverse effects.
Methods
An online cross-sectional survey was conducted among the students of
Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Fudan University. A total of 869 students
(412 males and 457 females), mean age 21.09 years (SD=2.44), were recruited in
2018. Multivariate binary logistic regression analyses were performed to explore
the associations between ever e-cigarette use and influencing factors.
Results
Of the responding students, 88.4% were aware of e-cigarettes, 4.6% had
used e-cigarettes at least once in their lifetime, and 1.7% were current e-cigarettes
users. Males and smokers were more likely to use e-cigarettes (ever used
e-cigarettes even once) than females (OR=3.51; 95% CI: 1.69–7.27; p=0.001)
and non-smokers (OR=28.58; 95% CI: 14.03–58.20; p<0.001). University
students were easily motivated to use e-cigarettes when their peers also used
them, and the risk ratio was 4.15 (95% CI: 2.11–8.19) compared with if their
peers never used e-cigarettes. The major factors found to motivate university
students to use e-cigarettes were the belief that e-cigarettes were less harmful
or not harmful (55.0%) and the perception that e-cigarettes were helpful to quit
smoking (37.5%). The survey also indicated that 72.4% of the respondents heard
about e-cigarettes from television advertisements, 42.7% from websites online,
and 41.2% from their parents and friends.
Conclusions
University students who were males, cigarette smokers and whose
peers used e-cigarettes were more likely to use e-cigarettes. The use of traditional
cigarettes should be controlled strictly in order to reduce the likelihood of
e-cigarette use among university students.
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