Pinho-Gomes Ana-Catarina, Alvin Santos Joseph, Jones Alexandra, Raj Thout Sudhir, Pettigrew Simone
The George Institute for Global Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK; Institute of Health Informatics, University College London, London, UK.
The George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Lancet. 2023 Nov;402 Suppl 1:S76. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(23)02110-4.
The use of e-cigarettes has been rising in the UK, with 7·7% of people aged over 16 years currently vaping daily or occasionally. Young people aged 16-24 years have the highest proportion of vapers at 11·1%. Therefore, this study investigated behaviours, attitudes, and beliefs about e-cigarettes among people aged 15-30 year in the UK.
For this cross-sectional study, we administered an online survey to a representative sample of people aged 15-30 years in the UK (based on a web panel) between Oct 1, and Nov 30, 2021. Questions related to respondent demographics; use of vaping or smoking products; motivations, attitudes, and behaviours related to vaping; and exposure to e-cigarette advertising. Ever use was described as use even "just once or twice". We used multivariable logistic regression to identify factors associated with ever e-cigarette use.
1009 participants responded to the survey (mean age 23 years, 520 [51·5%] women, 470 [46.6%] men) and were included in the study. 222 (22·3%) participants vaped at least monthly, with one in ten doing it daily. Current smokers were the most likely to use e-cigarettes (453, 44·9%), followed by previous smokers (288, 28·5%) and never smokers (23, 2·3%). Of the 222 participants vaping at least monthly, 199 (89·6%) had used e-cigarettes containing nicotine. The most common reasons for vaping were having friends who used e-cigarettes (103, 46·4%) and quitting or reducing smoking (89, 40·1%). Most participants agreed that e-cigarettes are addictive (698, 75·1%), help people quitting smoking (597, 64·2%), and are bad for health (584, 62·8%). Warning labels on e-cigarettes were seen by 611 (65·7%) participants, and 489 (52·6%) had been exposed to e-cigarette advertising, especially online. Previous or current tobacco smokers were nine and 22 times more likely to use e-cigarettes than never smokers, respectively (odds ratio [OR] 8·5, 95% CI 5·2-14·0 for previous smokers and 22·3, 12·2-40·7 for current smokers). Perceiving e-cigarettes as harmful was associated with a 40% lower likelihood of vaping (OR 0·6, 0·49-0·83).
Vaping seems relatively common among people aged 15-30 years in the UK, mainly among previous and current smokers. Caution should be taken as these findings might not be generalisable to the young UK population, and cross-sectional associations might not be causal. However, perceiving e-cigarettes as harmful might reduce their use, and many users seem unaware of their potential harms, which emphasises the need for further regulation on labelling, marketing, and sales.
National Health and Medical Council.
电子烟在英国的使用呈上升趋势，目前16岁以上人群中7.7%的人每天或偶尔吸食电子烟。16至24岁的年轻人中电子烟使用者的比例最高，为11.1%。因此，本研究调查了英国15至30岁人群对电子烟的行为、态度和看法。
在这项横断面研究中，我们于2021年10月1日至11月30日期间，对英国15至30岁人群（基于网络样本）的代表性样本进行了在线调查。问题涉及受访者的人口统计学特征；电子烟或吸烟产品的使用情况；与吸电子烟相关的动机、态度和行为；以及接触电子烟广告的情况。曾经使用过被描述为即使“只使用过一两次”也算。我们使用多变量逻辑回归来确定与曾经使用电子烟相关的因素。
1009名参与者回复了调查（平均年龄23岁，520名[51.5%]为女性，470名[46.6%]为男性）并被纳入研究。222名（22.3%）参与者至少每月吸食一次电子烟，十分之一的人每天吸食。目前的吸烟者最有可能使用电子烟（453人，44.9%），其次是曾经吸烟者（288人，28.5%）和从不吸烟者（23人，2.3%）。在至少每月吸食一次电子烟的222名参与者中，199名（89.6%）使用过含尼古丁的电子烟。吸电子烟最常见的原因是有吸电子烟的朋友（103人，46.4%）以及戒烟或减少吸烟量（89人，40.1%）。大多数参与者认为电子烟会上瘾（698人，75.1%）、有助于人们戒烟（597人，64.2%）且对健康有害（584人，62.8%）。611名（65.7%）参与者看到过电子烟上的警告标签，489名（52.6%）接触过电子烟广告，尤其是在网上。曾经或现在的吸烟者使用电子烟的可能性分别是从不吸烟者的9倍和22倍（优势比[OR]，曾经吸烟者为8.5，95%置信区间为5.2至14.0；现在吸烟者为22.3，12.2至40.7）。认为电子烟有害与吸电子烟的可能性降低40%相关（OR为0.6，0.49至0.83）。
在英国15至30岁人群中，吸电子烟似乎相对普遍，主要集中在曾经和现在的吸烟者中。应谨慎看待这些结果，因为这些发现可能不适用于英国的年轻人群体，而且横断面关联可能并非因果关系。然而，认为电子烟有害可能会减少其使用，并且许多使用者似乎并未意识到其潜在危害，这凸显了对标签、营销和销售进行进一步监管的必要性。
国家卫生与医学委员会。
