Table 2.
Representative quotes per theme
| Theme | Representative quotes |
|---|---|
| JUUL likes | |
| Clean/smell | Nice not feeling like you smelled bad after, not having residue and ash all over (Lx) |
| Convenience | I liked that it was convenient. No lighters (AA) |
| Health | My breathing got better (Lx) |
| Cost | Saving money (AA) |
| Taste | The taste (Lx) |
| Subjective effects | I enjoyed it, I like seeing the cloud of smoke it produces, by seeing that I tell that I am getting a hit (Lx) |
| Cravings/cessation | It took away the urge to smoke (AA) |
| Nothing | Nothing (AA & Lx) |
| Social | It was acceptable. I didn’t have to keep a cigarette away from people (Lx) |
| Use anywherea | That I could smoke it when I wanted wherever I wanted (Lx) |
| Helped with switching | |
| Self-regulation/motivation | Just sticking with it and not giving up (AA) |
| Nothing/NA | Nothing (AA & Lx) |
| Cravings/cessation | It satisfied the craving (AA) |
| Health | Seeing the health benefits helped me stick with it (Lx) |
| Convenience | Not needing a lighter (AA) |
| Social | Socially fun (AA) |
| Cost | Didn't spend as much money buying cigarettes (Lx) |
| Program support | This program helped me switch (AA) |
| Practiceb | Learning how to puff correctly, at the correct angle (AA) |
| Subjective experienceb | How clean it was, felt similar to a cigarette but cleaner (AA) |
| Flavora | It tastes good (Lx) |
| Smella | Not wanting to have the smell of cigarettes (Lx) |
| Othera | The e-cig itself (Lx) |
| JUUL dislikes | |
| Nothing | Nothing (AA & Lx) |
| Side effects (coughing/harshness) | Coughing/harshness in throat (AA) |
| Mechanical issues—Pods | Pods were leaking (Lx) |
| Inconvenienceb | That I lost it a couple times (AA) |
| Shapeb | The shape was weird at first (AA) |
| Tasteb | Metallic taste (AA) |
| Learning to useb | Figuring out how big of a puff to take (AA) |
| User issuesa | Have to remember to charge it (Lx) |
| Mechanical issues—batterya | I don’t like how they die (Lx) |
| Comparabilitya | I miss texture of the cigarettes (Lx) |
| Nicotine exposurea | The amount of nicotine I was smoking increased (Lx) |
| Costa | The prices, and having to buy a four pack (Lx) |
| Made switching difficult | |
| Side effects | Harshness, coughing (AA) |
| Nothing | Nothing (AA & Lx) |
| Comparability | Just being used to smoking cigarettes for the past 18 years (Lx) |
| Other | Stress and alcohol were all factors (AA) |
| Tasteb | I was not a fan of the cool mint taste at first (Lx) |
| Readiness to quitb | Wasn't mentally ready to give up cigarettes (AA) |
| Strength/nicotine intensityb | Felt like too much nicotine (AA) |
| Mechanical issues—podsb | The e-juice issue (AA) |
| Learning to useb | Had to learn how to puff correctly (AA) |
| User issuesa | Losing charger (Lx) |
| Craving for cigarettesa | The urge of smoking a cigarette is there from the smell and other reminders (Lx) |
| Sociala | Other people smoking regular cigarettes around me (Lx) |
| Costa | Paying for it (Lx) |
Table displays representative quotes per theme for responses to what participants liked about using ECs, what helped participants with switching to ECs, what participants did not like about using ECs, and what made switching to ECs difficult
aTheme is unique to Lx/San Diego sample
bTheme is unique to AA/Kansas City sample