Background:
E-cigarettes are electronic nicotine delivery systems that deliver
nicotine-containing aerosol (vapor) to users by heating a solution
containing propylene glycol and/or glycerol (glycerin), nicotine, and
flavoring agents. First introduced celebrity endorsements) 2003, it
which is marketed (often by as a safer, more modern technique
considered to be a better alternative to the conventional to cigarette
smoking with goal of helping smokers to quit smoking.
E-cigarettes also contain toxic materials, carcinogens, and heavy metals
which can be bad for health. Depression, suicidal ideation, and suicidal
attempts are more common among e-cigarette users than among nonusers. E-cigarettes are also getting more popular, allowing people to
“smoke anywhere.”
According to one study, E-cigarette use is common among smokers of
high socioeconomic status.
Objectives:
The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of e-cigarettes among
medical students. Also to find out the attitude of students towards its
use and harm perception regarding e-cigarettes.
Methods:
This is a cross sectional descriptive study. Data was collected from 289
students of all five years from three different private medical colleges.
Data was analysed and assessed on SPSS 27.
Results:
Out of 289 participants, 173(59.9%) were male and 116(40.1%) were
female. Prevalence was 30(10.4%). 17(5.9%) used e-cigarettes daily,
4(1.4%) used e-cigarettes twice a week, 4(1.4%) used e-cigarettes once
a week, 1(0.3%) used e-cigarettes once in 2 weeks and 19(6.6%) used
e-cigarettes once a month. Data showed that 67(23.2%) have once tried
e-cigarettes and 222(76.8%) had never used it. 55(19%) wanted to try
e-cigarettes, 29(10%) thought of it as fashionable. 57(19.7%) thought
e-cigarettes were safer to use than regular cigarettes. According to our
data, 68(23.5%) thought e-cigarettes are helpful for smoking cessation,
54(18.7%) would recommend them as smoking cessation alternative
while 96(33.2%) thought they might be a gateway to cigarette smoking.
It also showed 121(41.9%) thought e-cigarettes were public health
concern while 65(22.5%) thought it lowers the risk of lung cancer as
compared to smoking cigarettes. 58.1% participants answered that e-cigarettes were addictive with varying degrees, 139(48.1%) believed e-cigarettes cause lung cancer, 8(2.8%) thought ut causes cerebral stroke
and 31(10.7%) believed it can cause cardiovascular problems.
Conclusions:
Our data showed that e-cigarettes prevalence was low among medical
students with positive attitude and they thought e-cigarettes were
dangerous, addictive, helpful for smoking cessation and also could
cause lung and cardiac diseases.
Keywords:
E-cigarettes, vapor, endorsement, prevalence, attitude, harm
perception, smoking cessation.
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