Abstract
Purpose: To assess electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use, factors associated with use, and exposure to e-cigarette-related information from health professionals in a sample of college students attending a public university in northern California, using a web-based survey.
Methods: In this quantitative cross-sectional study, survey items assessed e-cigarette use, perceived risks and benefits, and exposure to e-cigarette-related information from health professionals and were pilot tested for feasibility and acceptability. Participants were recruited from three courses taught at a northern California public university and were given an electronic link to the survey with informed consent information. Frequency distributions and cross-tabulations were calculated for survey responses. The Mann-Whitney U-test was used to compare differences in perceived risks, benefits, and social consequences between ever-users and never-users.
Results: Ninety-one individuals completed the web-based survey. Among respondents, 89% were aware of e-cigarettes, 49% were ever-users, and 10% were current (past-30 day) e-cigarette users. Compared to e-cigarette ever-users, never-users perceived a higher chance of experiencing 5 out of 8 physical and social risks from e-cigarette use (P<0.05). E-cigarettes, marijuana, and hookah were perceived to be less harmful to health than cigarettes. Few participants reported receiving counseling regarding e-cigarettes from health professionals, including dental hygienists. Counseling about the adverse health effects of cigarettes was more common in this study population.
Conclusion: Dental hygienists must stay current with the scientific evidence related to e-cigarette use and incorporate such information into their client tobacco-related counseling. Addressing the perceived physical and social risks associated with e-cigarette use when counseling college students may deter them from initiating or continuing e-cigarette use.
Footnotes
Shiva Abadi, RDH, MS, is a graduate of the Master of Science in Dental Hygiene Program at the University of California, San Francisco.
Elizabeth T. Couch RDH, MS, is an Assistant Professor, Benjamin W. Chaffee, DDS, MPH, PhD, is an Assistant Professor and Margaret M. Walsh, RDH, MA, MS, EdD, Professor Emerita, all in the Department of Preventive and Restorative Dental Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco.
This manuscripts supports the NDHRA priority area, Client level: Oral health care (new therapies and prevention modalities).
- Copyright © 2017 The American Dental Hygienists’ Association