Department of Health Promotion and Community Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut 11-0236, Lebanon.
Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut 11-0236, Lebanon.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Feb 28;20(5):4273. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20054273.
In line with the global trends, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and heated tobacco products (HTPs) have found their way to the Lebanese market. The present study aims to explore the determinants of e-cigarette and HTP use among young adults in Lebanon. Convenience and snowball sampling were used to recruit participants aged 18-30 residing in Lebanon, who were familiar with e-cigarettes products. Twenty-one consenting participants were interviewed via Zoom and the verbatim transcriptions were analyzed thematically. The outcome expectancy theory was used to categorize the results into determinants and deterrents of use. HTPs were viewed by participants as another mode of smoking. The results showed that most participants perceived e-cigarettes and HTPs to be healthier alternatives to cigarettes/waterpipes and to be used as smoking cessation tools. Both e-cigarettes and HTPs were found to be easily accessible in Lebanon; although, in the recent economic crisis, e-cigarettes have become unaffordable. More research is needed to investigate the motivations and behaviors of e-cigarette and HTP users if effective policies and regulations are to be developed and enforced. Furthermore, greater public health efforts need to be made to increase awareness of the harmful impacts of e-cigarettes and HTPs and to implement evidence-based cessation programs tailored to those modes of smoking.
与全球趋势一致，电子烟和加热烟草产品已进入黎巴嫩市场。本研究旨在探讨影响黎巴嫩年轻人使用电子烟和加热烟草产品的因素。采用便利抽样和滚雪球抽样方法招募了居住在黎巴嫩、熟悉电子烟产品的 18-30 岁的年轻人作为参与者。21 名同意参与的参与者通过 Zoom 进行了访谈，对逐字记录进行了主题分析。结果期望理论被用来将结果分为使用的决定因素和阻碍因素。参与者认为加热烟草产品是另一种吸烟方式。结果表明，大多数参与者认为电子烟和加热烟草产品比香烟/水烟更健康，可作为戒烟工具。黎巴嫩电子烟和加热烟草产品都很容易获得；尽管在最近的经济危机中，电子烟变得难以负担。如果要制定和执行有效的政策和法规，需要进一步研究电子烟和加热烟草产品使用者的动机和行为。此外，需要加大公共卫生力度，提高人们对电子烟和加热烟草产品危害的认识，并实施针对这些吸烟方式的基于证据的戒烟计划。
