Table 3.
Perceptions of E-cigarettes by Current E-cigarette Use
| All Exposed1 (n=170) | E-cigarette Use (n=54, 31.8%) | No E-cigarette Use (n=116, 68.2%) | EC Use vs. No EC Use χ2 (df) (p-value) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | % | n | % | n | % | ||
| First Exposure to EC | 1.85 (4), p=0.762 | ||||||
| TV/Radio | 64 | 37.6% | 17 | 31.5% | 47 | 40.5% | |
| Friend/Family/Coworker | 47 | 27.6% | 17 | 31.5% | 30 | 25.9% | |
| Internet/Social Media | 22 | 12.9% | 8 | 14.8% | 14 | 12.1% | |
| Magazine/Newspaper | 5 | 2.9% | 1 | 1.9% | 4 | 3.4% | |
| Can’t remember | 32 | 18.8% | 11 | 20.4% | 21 | 18.1% | |
| Think EC Are Addictive? (Yes) | 96 | 56.5% | 29 | 53.7% | 67 | 57.8% | 0.03 (1), p=0.854 |
| Select all reasons why you use or may use E-Cigarettes | |||||||
| Save money | 74 | 43.5% | 29 | 53.7% | 45 | 38.8% | 2.75 (1), p=.097 |
| Can use in non-smoking areas | 71 | 41.8% | 35 | 64.8% | 36 | 31.0% | 15.93 (1), p=.0001 |
| Vapor is less harmful to others | 47 | 27.6% | 22 | 40.7% | 25 | 21.6% | 5.86 (1), p=.015 |
| EC reduce the amount I smoke | 39 | 22.9% | 15 | 27.8% | 24 | 20.7% | 0.68 (1), p=.408 |
| EC are better for my health | 38 | 22.4% | 14 | 25.9% | 24 | 20.7% | 0.32 (1), p=.572 |
| EC reduce other tobacco product use | 36 | 21.2% | 18 | 33.3% | 18 | 15.5% | 5.98 (1), p=.014 |
| Less judgment by others | 27 | 15.9% | 11 | 20.4% | 16 | 13.8% | 0.75 (1), p=.386 |
| EC allowed me to quit smoking | 16 | 9.4% | 7 | 13.0% | 9 | 7.8% | 0.64 (1), p=.424 |
| Friends/family prefer EC | 13 | 7.6% | 8 | 14.8% | 5 | 4.3% | 4.37 (1), p=.037 |
| EC taste better/flavor variety | 13 | 7.6% | 9 | 16.7% | 4 | 3.4% | 7.34 (1), p=.007 |
| EC set a better example for others | 4 | 2.4% | 2 | 3.7% | 2 | 1.7% | 0.06 (1), p=.803 |
| Source of most accurate info re: EC? | |||||||
| Personal physician/clinician | 60 | 35.3% | 23 | 42.6% | 37 | 31.9% | 1.41 (1), p=.236 |
| American Lung Association | 44 | 25.9% | 12 | 22.2% | 32 | 27.6% | 0.31 (1), p=.579 |
| American Cancer Society | 44 | 25.9% | 11 | 20.4% | 33 | 28.4% | 0.86 (1), p=.352 |
| Food and Drug Administration | 40 | 23.5% | 11 | 20.4% | 29 | 25.0% | 0.22 (1), p=.640 |
| Veteran’s Administration | 39 | 22.9% | 12 | 22.2% | 27 | 23.3% | 0.00 (1), p=1.000 |
| Centers for Disease Control | 22 | 12.9% | 7 | 13.0% | 15 | 12.9% | 0.00 (1), p=1.000 |
| National Institutes of Health | 19 | 11.2% | 5 | 9.3% | 14 | 12.1% | 0.78 (1), p=.780 |
| Internet | 18 | 10.6% | 8 | 14.8% | 10 | 8.6% | 0.91 (1), p=.340 |
| Friend/family member | 16 | 9.4% | 3 | 5.6% | 13 | 11.2% | 0.80 (1), p=.372 |
| Tobacco industry | 14 | 8.2% | 2 | 3.7% | 12 | 10.3% | 1.36 (1), p=.243 |
| Chain of Command | 9 | 5.3% | 3 | 5.6% | 6 | 5.2% | 0.00 (1), p=1.000 |
| Should EC be regulated like cigarettes and other tobacco products? (Yes) | 93 | 54.7% | 22 | 40.7% | 71 | 61.2% | 4.84 (1), p=.028 |
Note. EC = E-cigarette.
1
Participants who indicated they had never heard of e-cigarettes (n = 18) were omitted from these analyses.