Table 2. Questions, Themes, Responses, and Representative Quotes.
| Question/theme | No. (%)a | Representative quote | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | Age, y | |||
| 14-17 | 18-24 | |||
| Have you ever heard of Juul? | ||||
| Yes | 979 (87.6) | 445 (92.5) | 534 (83.8) | “who hasn't?” |
| No | 137 (12.3) | 36 (7.5) | 101 (15.9) | “Nope. Never heard of it” |
| Why do you think people your age juul? | ||||
| Social reasons | 658 (62.2) | 307 (67.9) | 351 (57.9) | “I think it's a social experience. It's part of being in a club” |
| “…peer pressure. If your friends juul then you juul” | ||||
| As an alternative to other substances | 206 (19.5) | 46 (10.2) | 160 (26.4) | “…it's helped me quit smoking after 5 years” |
| “…think it's a healthier alternative to smoking/vaping.” | ||||
| Feels good/gives a buzz | 176 (16.6) | 88 (19.5) | 88 (14.5) | “To get a high or for fun.” |
| Addiction | 107 (10.1) | 52 (11.5) | 55 (9.1) | “because they tried it and now are hooked…” |
| A belief it is harmless | 96 (9.1) | 31 (6.9) | 65 (10.7) | “…they thinks it's cool and that it has no harmful effects” |
| Flavors | 50 (4.7) | 22 (4.9) | 28 (4.6) | “it's a trend now because of new fruity flavors…” |
| Do you think juuling is dangerous? Why or why not? | ||||
| Yes | 826 (78.7) | 362 (81.2) | 464 (77.0) | |
| Nicotine content | 339 (41.0) | 155 (42.8) | 184 (39.7) | “Yes- nicotine is very harmful to the body…” |
| “yes…one Juul pod has enough nicotine for 20 cigarettes” | ||||
| Affects physical health | 298 (36.1) | 138 (38.1) | 160 (34.5) | “Yes, it causes COPD, lung cancer and popcorn lung” |
| “yes because it has harmful cancer causing chemicals” | ||||
| Addiction | 278 (33.7) | 135 (37.3) | 143 (30.8) | “I think it's dangerous because it becomes an addiction” |
| No | 66 (6.3) | 29 (6.5) | 37 (6.1) | |
| Better than cigarettes | 24 (36.4) | 9 (31.0) | 15 (40.5) | “No Because it safer than cigs” |
| Maybe | 71 (6.8) | 38 (8.5) | 33 (5.5) | |
| Understudied | 14 (19.7) | 6 (15.8) | 8 (24.2) | “I can't really be sure. There's not much research” |
| Better than cigarettes | 14 (19.7) | 9 (23.7) | 5 (15.2) | “Than what? I think it is less dangerous than smoking” |
| Do you think juuling leads to using alcohol, cigarettes, or other drugs? Why or why not? | ||||
| Yes | 727 (71.7) | 318 (74.8) | 409 (69.4) | |
| Cigarettes | 257 (35.4) | 94 (29.6) | 163 (39.9) | “Cigarettes bc nicotine is addictive” |
| Addictive behaviors | 182 (25.0) | 85 (26.7) | 97 (23.7) | “Yes, people will try riskier and riskier things.” |
| No | 234 (23.1) | 92 (21.7) | 142 (24.1) | |
| Not associated | 63 (26.9) | 28 (30.4) | 35 (24.7) | “no, all of those are a choice. I don't think they're related.” |
| Already more likely | 58 (24.8) | 18 (19.6) | 40 (28.2) | “No because…people are already doing those things” |
Abbreviation: COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
a
Category percentages may not add to 100% because codes are not mutually exclusive, and only major codes are represented.