From the Departments of Emergency Medicine.
Pediatrics, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY.
Pediatr Emerg Care. 2022 Jun 1;38(6):e1309-e1313. doi: 10.1097/PEC.0000000000002565. Epub 2021 Nov 8.
This study aimed to evaluate parental knowledge of their adolescent's e-cigarette use and their awareness of negative effects.
Participants were English-speaking 12- to 18-year-old patients and their guardians presenting to a pediatric emergency department. Patients and guardians were invited to complete a survey detailing e-cigarette use, parental awareness, and the understanding of risks. Participants were given separate surveys. They were monitored by research assistants in the room to ensure that answers were kept private. χ2 Analysis was used to interpret the data.
A total of 309 paired surveys were obtained over an 8-month period. Of adolescents surveyed, 85 (27.5%) admitted to having ever used an e-cigarette and 33 (10.7%) admitted to regular use. Regular usage was defined as use within the last 30 days. Of the adolescents who used e-cigarettes, the majority (77.8%) had never smoked a traditional cigarette before. For teens who used e-cigarettes, 71.8% of their respective guardians were aware. When the adolescent reported that they did not use e-cigarettes, 91.3% of guardians responded that they did not believe their child was using the device. Guardians were somewhat worse at knowing if their child regularly used e-cigarettes, with only 54.8% of parents reporting to think that their child regularly uses. Finally, both adolescents and guardians reported to know that e-cigarette use was harmful. On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the worst, 83.5% and 88.3% of patients and guardians, respectively, rated e-cigarette usage harm at 4 or 5.
It seems guardians are generally aware of their adolescent's e-cigarette use, and both parents and adolescents are aware of the negative side effects of e-cigarettes on health. We did not investigate whether guardians discussed their concerns on e-cigarette usage with their adolescents. It is also unclear what specific health consequences guardians and adolescents are aware of. These may be points of further investigation and intervention.
本研究旨在评估父母对青少年电子烟使用情况的了解程度及其对不良影响的认知程度。
参与者为英语为母语的 12 至 18 岁患者及其监护人，他们在儿科急诊室就诊。邀请患者和监护人填写一份详细说明电子烟使用情况、父母意识和风险认知的调查问卷。参与者填写了单独的问卷。研究助理在房间内对他们进行监测，以确保答案保密。采用卡方分析来解释数据。
在 8 个月的时间里，共获得了 309 对调查问卷。在接受调查的青少年中，有 85 人（27.5%）承认曾使用过电子烟，33 人（10.7%）承认经常使用。经常使用是指在过去 30 天内使用。在使用电子烟的青少年中，大多数（77.8%）以前从未吸过传统香烟。对于使用电子烟的青少年来说，他们的监护人中有 71.8%知情。当青少年报告他们没有使用电子烟时，91.3%的监护人表示他们不相信孩子在使用该设备。监护人在了解孩子是否经常使用电子烟方面表现稍差，只有 54.8%的父母表示认为孩子经常使用电子烟。最后，青少年和监护人都表示知道电子烟的使用有害。在 1 到 5 的范围内，5 表示最严重，分别有 83.5%和 88.3%的青少年和监护人将电子烟使用的危害程度评为 4 或 5。
似乎监护人通常都知道自己孩子的电子烟使用情况，父母和青少年都意识到电子烟对健康的负面影响。我们没有调查监护人是否与青少年讨论过他们对电子烟使用的担忧。也不清楚监护人知道哪些具体的健康后果。这些可能是进一步调查和干预的重点。
