e-Cigarette Awareness, Use, and Harm Perceptions in US Adults
A partir des données d'une enquête en ligne et d'une étude de cohorte menées respectivement auprès de 2 649 et 3 658 adultes en 2010, cette étude évalue, en fonction de leur statut tabagique et de leurs caractéristiques socio-démographiques, le taux d'utilisation des cigarettes électroniques ainsi que le degré de sensibilisation au produit et aux risques liés au tabac
Objectives. We estimated e-cigarette (electronic nicotine delivery system) awareness, use, and harm perceptions among US adults. Methods. We drew data from 2 surveys conducted in 2010: a national online study (n = 2649) and the Legacy Longitudinal Smoker Cohort (n = 3658). We used multivariable models to examine e-cigarette awareness, use, and harm perceptions. Results. In the online survey, 40.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 37.3, 43.1) had heard of e-cigarettes, with awareness highest among current smokers. Utilization was higher among current smokers (11.4%; 95% CI = 9.3, 14.0) than in the total population (3.4%; 95% CI = 2.6, 4.2), with 2.0% (95% CI = 1.0, 3.8) of former smokers and 0.5% (95% CI = 0.16, 1.4) of never-smokers ever using e-cigarettes. In both surveys, non-Hispanic Whites, current smokers, young adults, and those with at least a high-school diploma were most likely to perceive e-cigarettes as less harmful than regular cigarettes. Conclusions. Awareness of e-cigarettes is high, and use among current and former smokers is evident. We recommend product regulation and careful surveillance to monitor public health impact and emerging utilization patterns, and to ascertain why, how, and under what conditions e-cigarettes are being used. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print July 19, 2012: e1-e9. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2011.300526)