Albgami Mhdee H, Alzahrani Ahmed S, Alghamdi Anwar M, Alamri Nawaf S, Alghamdi Ali H, Alsuwat Rami A
Department of Preventive Medicine, Prince Mansour Military Hospital, Taif, SAU.
Department of Preventive Medicine, Armed Forces Hospital, Madina, SAU.
Cureus. 2023 Jun 24;15(6):e40885. doi: 10.7759/cureus.40885. eCollection 2023 Jun.
Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) smoking is a significant public health problem in Saudi Arabia, particularly among youth who use it as an alternative to traditional cigarettes. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and beliefs towards e-cigarette use among Taif University students in Saudi Arabia.
A cross-sectional study was conducted among male Taif University students using a self-administered questionnaire. A sample of 319 students was selected through stratified sampling. The questionnaire included questions about socio-demographic characteristics, smoking history, awareness of e-cigarettes, prevalence of e-cigarette use, beliefs towards e-cigarettes, and reasons for e-cigarette use.
The study revealed a high prevalence of e-cigarette use among Taif University students, with 40.1% of participants having used e-cigarettes at least once during their lifetime and 43.7% believing that e-cigarettes are less dangerous than traditional cigarettes. Participants studying sciences had 0.76 times the odds of believing that e-cigarettes help smokers to quit compared to participants studying literature. Compared to smokers, ex-smokers had an OR of 34.1 (p<0.001) and non-smokers had an OR of 35.9 (p<0.001) for experimentation of e-cigarettes. Smokers who had friends that tried e-cigarettes had an OR of 6.6 (p<0.001) for trying e-cigarettes, compared to smokers who did not have such friends.
The study found that 40.1% of participants have used e-cigarettes at least once during their lifetime with a significant proportion of participants unaware of the potential health hazards of e-cigarettes, and many believed that e-cigarettes are less dangerous than traditional cigarettes. These findings emphasize the need for targeted educational interventions to address misconceptions and promote awareness among university students.
在沙特阿拉伯，吸电子烟是一个重大的公共卫生问题，尤其是在将其作为传统香烟替代品的年轻人中。本研究旨在评估沙特阿拉伯塔伊夫大学学生中电子烟使用的流行情况及其相关观念。
采用自填式问卷对塔伊夫大学男生进行了一项横断面研究。通过分层抽样选取了319名学生作为样本。问卷包括有关社会人口学特征、吸烟史、对电子烟的认知、电子烟使用流行情况、对电子烟的看法以及使用电子烟的原因等问题。
研究显示塔伊夫大学学生中电子烟使用的流行率很高，40.1%的参与者一生中至少使用过一次电子烟，43.7%的参与者认为电子烟比传统香烟危害小。与文科专业的参与者相比，理科专业的参与者认为电子烟有助于吸烟者戒烟的可能性为其0.76倍。与吸烟者相比，曾经吸烟者尝试电子烟的比值比为34.1（p<0.001），不吸烟者尝试电子烟的比值比为35.9（p<0.001）。有尝试过电子烟的朋友的吸烟者尝试电子烟的比值比为6.6（p<0.001），而没有此类朋友的吸烟者则不然。
研究发现，40.1%的参与者一生中至少使用过一次电子烟，相当一部分参与者未意识到电子烟的潜在健康危害，且许多人认为电子烟比传统香烟危害小。这些发现强调需要开展有针对性的教育干预措施，以消除误解并提高大学生的认识。
