Department of Public Health Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA.
Department of Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA.
Tob Control. 2019 Sep;28(5):493-497. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2018-054432. Epub 2018 Aug 10.
'Stealth vaping' is the practice of vaping discreetly in places where electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use is prohibited. While anecdotal evidence suggests that stealth vaping is common, there have been no formal studies of the behaviour. The purpose of this study is to examine stealth vaping behaviour among experienced e-cigarette users.
Data were collected from the follow-up survey of a large longitudinal cohort study of adult experienced e-cigarette users conducted in January 2017. To measure stealth vaping behaviour, participants were asked 'Have you ever 'stealth vaped', that is to say, used an e-cig in a public place where it was not approved and attempted to conceal your e-cig use? (yes/no)'. Participants indicating yes completed additional questions about the frequency of stealth vaping and were asked to select all the locations where they commonly stealth vape. Frequencies were used to examine the overall prevalence, frequency and common locations for stealth vaping. A logistic regression model was run to predict stealth vaping.
Approximately two-thirds (64.3%, n=297/462) of the sample reported ever stealth vaping, of which 52.5% (n=156/297) reported stealth vaping in the past week. Among stealth vapers (n=297), 31% reported owning a smaller device solely for stealth vaping. The most common places to stealth vape included at work (46.8%), followed by bars/nightclubs (42.1%), restaurants (37.7%), at the movies (35.4%) and in airports/on airplanes (11.7%). Predictors of stealth vaping were greater dependence and owning a smaller device solely for stealth vaping.
Stealth vaping is a common behaviour for many experienced e-cigarette users. More research is needed to understand the reasons for stealth vaping and its potential health and safety implications. This information could help researchers and regulators to design interventions to minimise the public health impact of stealth vaping.
“隐形 vaping”是指在禁止使用电子烟（e-cigarette）的地方偷偷吸烟的行为。虽然有传闻证据表明隐形 vaping 很常见，但尚未对此行为进行过正式研究。本研究旨在调查有经验的电子烟使用者中隐形 vaping 行为。
数据来自 2017 年 1 月进行的一项针对成年有经验电子烟使用者的大型纵向队列研究的随访调查。为了衡量隐形 vaping 行为，参与者被问到“你是否曾经‘隐形 vaping’，也就是说，在不被批准的公共场所使用电子烟，并试图隐藏你的电子烟使用？（是/否）”。回答“是”的参与者完成了关于隐形 vaping 频率的附加问题，并被要求选择他们通常隐形 vaping 的所有地点。频率用于检查隐形 vaping 的总体流行率、频率和常见地点。运行逻辑回归模型来预测隐形 vaping。
大约三分之二（64.3%，n=297/462）的样本报告曾经隐形 vaping，其中 52.5%（n=156/297）报告在过去一周内隐形 vaping。在隐形 vapers （n=297）中，31%的人报告拥有更小的设备专门用于隐形 vaping。最常见的隐形 vaping 地点包括工作场所（46.8%），其次是酒吧/夜总会（42.1%）、餐馆（37.7%）、电影院（35.4%）和机场/飞机上（11.7%）。隐形 vaping 的预测因素是依赖性更强和拥有更小的设备专门用于隐形 vaping。
隐形 vaping 是许多有经验的电子烟使用者的常见行为。需要进一步研究以了解隐形 vaping 的原因及其潜在的健康和安全影响。这些信息可以帮助研究人员和监管机构设计干预措施，以最大限度地减少隐形 vaping 对公共健康的影响。
