Youth perceptions of e-cigarette-related risk of lung issues and association with e-cigarette use.
Shivani Mathur Gaiha, Anna E. Epperson, Bonnie Halpern‐Felsher
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: E-cigarette use is associated with increased risk of negative health outcomes, including respiratory problems such as Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Nevertheless, adolescents and young adults (AYAs) continue to use e-cigarettes at alarming rates. We examined AYA's perceptions of the health harms of e-cigarettes in relation to respiratory problems and the associations between these perceptions and e-cigarette use. METHOD: = 4,315; 65% female; 50% ever-users, 50% never-users) to assess e-cigarette use and perceptions of the risk of respiratory problems, COVID-19, and severe lung disease for AYAs with different levels of e-cigarette use. RESULTS: = 1.26, 95% CI [1.11, 1.42]). CONCLUSIONS: Among AYAs who had ever used e-cigarettes, those who did not believe that e-cigarette use increases the risks of respiratory problems were more likely to have used e-cigarettes in the past month. To bridge the gap between youth perceptions and emerging scientific evidence on e-cigarette-related health risks, prevention messaging should seek to explain how e-cigarette use is linked to respiratory problems and could affect COVID-19 outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).