Favourable Perceptions of Electronic Cigarettes Relative to Cigarettes and the Associations with Susceptibility to Electronic Cigarette Use in Hong Kong Chinese Adolescents

Introduction:
This article reports on a study investigating favorable perceptions of electronic cigarettes (ECs) relative to cigarettes and their associations with EC use susceptibility in adolescents in Hong Kong. The study surveyed Hong Kong Chinese secondary school students and examined the relationships between various factors and EC use susceptibility in never EC users. The study also conducted subgroup analyses on the associations in never smokers and ex-smokers, as well as age and sex-specific associations.

Key Points:

* The study found that many adolescents had favorable perceptions of ECs relative to cigarettes, including perceptions that ECs are less harmful, more attractive, and easier to use unnoticed than cigarettes.
* The study found that adolescent never users who were aware of ECs were more likely to be susceptible to EC use for having any of the favorable perceptions examined, including ECs being less harmful, easier to buy, and easier to use unnoticed than cigarettes.
* The study found that harm perceptions predict substance use in adolescents, and that never users who considered ECs less harmful than cigarettes were more likely to be susceptible.
* The study found that perceived greater attractiveness and better acceptability of ECs than cigarettes, although not common, are worthy of notice for their particularly robust associations with EC use susceptibility.
* The study found that never EC users that had more favorable perceptions relative to cigarettes were more likely to be susceptible to EC use.
* The study suggests that measures are needed to reduce unwarranted favorable perceptions of ECs relative to cigarettes and prevent EC use initiation in adolescents.

Main Message:
The study highlights the importance of understanding adolescent perceptions of ECs in order to inform strategies to prevent EC use. The study found that favorable perceptions of ECs relative to cigarettes, including perceptions of lower harm, greater attractiveness, and better acceptability, are associated with increased susceptibility to EC use in adolescents. The study suggests that measures are needed to reduce unwarranted favorable perceptions of ECs relative to cigarettes and prevent EC use initiation in adolescents. The study also emphasizes the need for education campaigns and school policies to raise awareness of the potential harms of ECs and discourage EC use and smoking at least in never-smoking adolescents.

Leung, Lok, Sai Ho, Jianjiu Chen, Man Wang, and Tai Lam. “Favourable Perceptions of Electronic Cigarettes Relative to Cigarettes and the Associations with Susceptibility to Electronic Cigarette Use in Hong Kong Chinese Adolescents.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 15, no. 1 (January 1, 2018): 54. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15010054.