Burbank Andrea D, Thrul Johannes, Ling Pamela M
University of California, San Francisco, United States.
Tob Prev Cessat. 2016;2(Suppl). doi: 10.18332/tpc/65229. Epub 2016 Oct 5.
The use of electronic cigarettes or vape devices is increasing, and products are evolving rapidly. This study assessed retail vape shops in the San Francisco Bay Area to describe store characteristics, products offered, advertisements and health claims, as well as employees' perceptions of their customers' demographics, and practices to support smoking cessation.
We conducted store audits of shops that exclusively sell vape devices with physical addresses in San Francisco and Alameda counties (n=23, response rate 72%) and interviewed vape shop owners/employees.
While all stores carried second and third generation vape devices, 83% of stores did not carry first generation devices. Employees estimated the majority of their customers bought devices for smoking cessation or to replace tobacco, and a small minority purchased for first-time recreational use. Employees most frequently recommended dosing nicotine based on usual cigarette consumption, adjusting doses based on "throat hit" or cravings, use of a second or third generation e-cigarette, and encouraged customers to experiment and customize to "whatever works for you" as smoking cessation advice.
Vape shops report a significant number of their customers are interested in smoking cessation, and employees are giving smoking cessation advice. A subpopulation of customers includes some nicotine novices. Studies of vape shops should include both observations and interviews with employees in order to detect important informal practices that may differ from posted signs or printed advertising. These practices include cessation counseling, product claims, and custom discount prices or bargaining.
电子烟或蒸汽烟设备的使用正在增加，产品也在迅速演变。本研究评估了旧金山湾区的零售蒸汽烟商店，以描述商店特征、所售产品、广告及健康宣称，以及员工对顾客人口统计学特征的认知，还有支持戒烟的做法。
我们对在旧金山和阿拉米达县有实际地址的专门销售蒸汽烟设备的商店进行了店面审计（n = 23，回复率72%），并采访了蒸汽烟商店老板/员工。
虽然所有商店都有第二代和第三代蒸汽烟设备，但83%的商店没有第一代设备。员工估计他们的大多数顾客购买设备是为了戒烟或替代烟草，只有一小部分是首次用于娱乐。员工最常推荐根据通常的香烟消费量来确定尼古丁剂量，根据“击喉感”或烟瘾调整剂量，使用第二代或第三代电子烟，并鼓励顾客进行尝试和定制，给出“对你有效的任何方法”作为戒烟建议。
蒸汽烟商店报告称，他们的大量顾客对戒烟感兴趣，并且员工会提供戒烟建议。顾客群体中有一部分是尼古丁新手。对蒸汽烟商店的研究应包括对员工的观察和访谈，以便发现可能与张贴的标志或印刷广告不同的重要非正式做法。这些做法包括戒烟咨询、产品宣称以及定制折扣价格或讨价还价。
