Low Self-Control and Vaping: The Mediating Role of health and Risk Perceptions.

Introduction:
This article explores the relationship between low self-control, perceptions of vaping risks, and self-reported vaping use among college students. The study aims to determine whether risk and health perceptions toward e-cigarettes mediate the effect of self-control on self-reported vaping use.

Key Points:

* The study used a sample of 325 college students from a large Midwestern university.
* Low self-control was significantly and positively related to self-reported vaping use.
* Low self-control was also significantly and positively related to perceptions that vaping is safer than traditional cigarettes, has no health risks, and is the best option for quitting cigarettes.
* When perceptions of vaping risks were included in the model, the effect of low self-control on self-reported vaping use became non-significant, indicating that risk perceptions about vaping mediated the relationship between low self-control and self-reported vaping use.
* The reduction in the low self-control coefficient was statistically significant, representing mediation.
* The study controlled for several confounders, including race, sex, age, political ideology, family income, CJC major, school status, self-reported crime scale, peer vape use, and strain scale.
* The study's findings suggest that low self-control operates, in part, through risk and health perceptions toward vaping, which ultimately increases the likelihood of vaping among individuals.

Main Message:
The study highlights the importance of risk perceptions in the relationship between low self-control and self-reported vaping use. The findings suggest that interventions aimed at correcting misperceptions about vaping risks may be effective in reducing vaping use among college students with low self-control. additionally, the study underscores the need for further research on the mechanisms that may potentially explain the relationship between low self-control and vaping use, such as motivations and reasons for using e-cigarettes.

Intravia J, Vito aG, Rocheleau GC. Low Self-Control and Vaping: The Mediating Role of health and Risk Perceptions. Substance use & misuse. 2022;57(6):956-966. doi:10.1080/10826084.2022.2052102