Table 4.
Practitioners’ responses to questions regarding concerns and regulations regarding e-cigarettes.
| Participant responses | N (%) |
|---|---|
| What should the FDA do with regard to e-cigarettes? | |
| Regulate them like other NRT products: gums/inhalers/patches. | 62 (53) |
| Have warning labels like other tobacco products | 61 (52.5) |
| Regulate them like other tobacco products. | 60 (51.7) |
| Restrictions on advertising, promotion and sponsorship | 42 (36.2) |
| A ban on sales to minors only. | 39 (33.6) |
| Ban e-cigarette use in public places | 28 (24.1) |
| Ban flavors that appeal to kids | 27 (23.2) |
| Ban them altogether from the marketplace. | 5 (4.3) |
| Not sure | 11 (9.5) |
| Maintain status quo until further research is available. | 9 (7.8) |
| What are your concerns regarding e-cigarettes? | |
| Lack of evidence regarding the long-term safety of the product | 88 (76.5) |
| Virtual absence of regulatory controls by the FDA | 59 (51.3) |
| Function as attractive starter products for young non-smokers and a gateway to smoking for adolescents | 57 (49.5) |
| The long-term impact of repeated propylene glycol (major component of some e-cigarettes) inhalation is unknown | 52 (45.2) |
| Marketing and advertising of e-cigarettes, especially to children and youth | 48 (41.7) |
| Become ‘bridge product’ for use in places where smoking is prohibited: schools/offices/airports | 41 (35.65) |
| E-cigarette advertising and photos of celebrities vaping will make cigarette smoking glamorous again and ‘renormalize’ smoking | 40 (34.7) |
| Their use may instead perpetuate smokers’ addiction | 37 (32.1) |
| FDA may ban or restrict them from the marketplace, resulting in lack of less-harmful alternatives to smoking | 6 (5.2) |