Larcombe Alexander N, Chivers Emily K, Huxley Rachel R, Musk Arthur Bill W, Franklin Peter J, Mullins Benjamin J
Respiratory Environmental Health, Wal-yan Respiratory Research Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia.
Occupation, Environment and Safety, School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6845, Australia.
Toxics. 2023 Mar 21;11(3):290. doi: 10.3390/toxics11030290.
Despite their increasing popularity, and Australia's unique regulatory environment, how and why Australian adults use e-cigarettes and their perceptions of their safety, efficacy and regulation have not been extensively reported before. In this study, we screened 2217 adult Australians with the aim of assessing these questions in a sample of current or former e-cigarette users. A total of 505 out of 2217 respondents were current or former e-cigarette users, with only these respondents completing the full survey. Key findings of this survey included the high proportion of respondents who indicated they were currently using e-cigarettes (307 out of 2217 = 13.8%), and the high proportion of current e-cigarette users that were also smokers (74.6%). The majority of respondents used e-liquids containing nicotine (70.3%), despite it being illegal in Australia without a prescription, and the majority bought their devices and liquids in Australia (65.7%). Respondents reported using e-cigarettes in a variety of places, including inside the home, inside public places (where it is illegal to smoke tobacco cigarettes), and around other people-which has implications for second and third hand exposures. A significant proportion of current e-cigarette users (30.6%) thought that e-cigarettes were completely safe to use long-term, although in general, there was a large amount of uncertainty/ambivalence with respect to perceptions of e-cigarette safety and efficacy as smoking cessation tools. This study shows that e-cigarette use is common in Australia, and that appropriate dissemination of unbiased research findings on their safety and efficacy in smoking cessation is urgently required.
尽管电子烟越来越受欢迎，且澳大利亚有着独特的监管环境，但此前尚未有关于澳大利亚成年人如何使用电子烟、为何使用电子烟以及他们对电子烟安全性、有效性和监管的认知的广泛报道。在本研究中，我们对2217名澳大利亚成年人进行了筛查，目的是在当前或曾经使用电子烟的用户样本中评估这些问题。在2217名受访者中，共有505人是当前或曾经使用电子烟的用户，只有这些受访者完成了完整的调查。本次调查的主要发现包括：表示目前正在使用电子烟的受访者比例很高（2217人中的307人 = 13.8%），以及当前使用电子烟的用户中同时也是吸烟者的比例很高（74.6%）。尽管在澳大利亚没有处方使用含尼古丁的电子烟液是违法的，但大多数受访者使用的是含尼古丁的电子烟液（70.3%），并且大多数人在澳大利亚购买他们的电子烟设备和烟液（65.7%）。受访者报告在各种场所使用电子烟，包括在室内、公共场所（在这些场所吸烟是违法的）以及在其他人周围——这对二手和三手暴露有影响。相当一部分当前使用电子烟的用户（30.6%）认为长期使用电子烟完全安全，不过总体而言，对于电子烟作为戒烟工具的安全性和有效性的认知存在大量不确定性/矛盾心理。这项研究表明，电子烟在澳大利亚的使用很普遍，并且迫切需要就其在戒烟方面的安全性和有效性进行无偏见研究结果的适当传播。
