E-cigarette Use and Beliefs Among Urban Public High School Students in North Carolina

Introduction:
This text is a summary of an original research article published in the Journal of Adolescent Health in 2015 that examines the prevalence, attitudes, and risk factors associated with electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use among high school students in a tobacco growing state. The study surveyed public high school students in an urban county in North Carolina to gather data on their knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about e-cigarettes and other tobacco products. The key points and main message of the study are discussed below.

Key Points:

* The study found that 77.3% of students were aware of e-cigarettes, and 15.2% reported having tried an e-cigarette.
* Most students (60%) believed that e-cigarettes were safe or had minimal health hazards.
* Only 5.4% of students reported that schools had offered information about e-cigarette use.
* E-cigarette use was positively associated with older age, male gender, Caucasian race, lower academic performance, and tobacco use, whereas it was negatively associated with having a mother who never used e-cigarettes, not knowing any e-cigarette users, and living with mother.
* One quarter (24.9%) of students reported ever cigarette smoking, and 13.3% reported ever using smokeless tobacco.
* E-cigarette users did not identify themselves as cigarette smokers, and a considerable proportion of e-cigarette users perceived e-cigarettes as "healthy."
* A subset of e-cigarette users were tobacco naive, whereas another group used e-cigarettes along with conventional cigarettes and smokeless tobacco.

Main Message:
The main message of the study is that e-cigarette use and awareness are prevalent among high school students in North Carolina. Many students perceive e-cigarettes as a healthy and safe alternative to traditional cigarettes, but this is not necessarily true. Schools should provide more education and information about the risks associated with e-cigarette use. E-cigarette use is also associated with tobacco use, suggesting that e-cigarettes may be a gateway to other tobacco products. Increased screening and education regarding e-cigarette use are needed to prevent and reduce e-cigarette use among high school students.

Anand, Vivek, Kaye L. McGinty, Kevin O’Brien, Gregory Guenthner, Ellen Hahn, and Catherine A. Martin. “E-Cigarette Use and Beliefs Among Urban Public High School Students in North Carolina.” Journal of Adolescent Health 57, no. 1 (July 2015): 46–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2015.03.018.