Electronic Cigarette Harm and Benefit Perceptions and Use Among Youth

Introduction: This text is a scientific study on the perceptions and use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) among high school students in Florida. The study examines the students' perceptions of the harms and benefits associated with e-cigarettes and how these perceptions are related to e-cigarette use. The study also explores the demographic characteristics of the students and their use of e-cigarettes.

Key Points:

* The study is based on data from the 2016 Florida Youth Tobacco Survey, which is a school-based survey administered to middle and high school students.
* The sample includes high school students between the ages of 14 and 17 years, in ninth through 12th grade, who did not report using e-cigarettes with marijuana oil, bath salts, or spice. Participants who reported using tobacco products other than e-cigarettes were not eligible for the study.
* The study categorized participants into six e-cigarette use groups: committed never users, susceptible never users, lifetime exclusive e-cigarette use, past 30-day exclusive use, lifetime e-cigarette plus other product use, and past 30-day e-cigarette plus other product use.
* The study assessed participants' harm perceptions of e-cigarettes using five questions and their perceived benefits using four questions.
* The study found that participants who were susceptible to use, currently use, or have used e-cigarettes were less likely to report harms and more likely to perceive benefits associated with e-cigarette use compared with committed never users.
* The study controlled for potential confounders such as age, gender, race/ethnicity, and metropolitan county type.
* The study suggests that addressing harm and benefit perceptions may be important for interventions designed to reduce e-cigarette use among adolescents.

Main Message: The study highlights the importance of understanding adolescents' perceptions of e-cigarettes as these perceptions are related to e-cigarette use. The findings suggest that addressing misperceptions about the harms and benefits of e-cigarettes may be an effective strategy for preventing e-cigarette use among adolescents. Public health campaigns that aim to prevent e-cigarette use should consider incorporating messages that correct misperceptions about e-cigarettes and address the perceived benefits of e-cigarette use.

Bernat, Debra, Nicolas Gasquet, Kellie O’Dare Wilson, Lauren Porter, and Kelvin Choi. “Electronic Cigarette Harm and Benefit Perceptions and Use Among Youth.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 55, no. 3 (September 2018): 361–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2018.04.043.