Cigarette Smokers' Use of and Beliefs about Electronic Cigarettes

Audience: Professionals concerned with use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) will benefit. Key Points: Awareness of e-cigarettes among cigarette smokers is high, but recent and current daily use is much less common. In 2011, a cross-sectional study of 549 adult cigarette smokers in NYS revealed nearly all cigarette smokers (93%) had heard of e-cigarettes, 27% had ever tried an e-cigarette, 4.9% had used one in the past month, and 2% were daily users. E-cigarette use was associated with a participant’s daily number of cigarettes smoked and age. Participants who smoked 10 or more cigarettes per day were 3 times more likely to have ever used e-cigarettes compared to those who smoked less than 10 cigarettes per day (p <0.01). Ever use of e-cigarettes was associated with younger age for males (p < 0.01), but not for females. Many smokers believe e-cigarettes are safer than their current cigarettes and are motivated to use them as potential cessation or harm reduction tools. The vast majority of smokers reported a belief that e-cigarettes were either less harmful or no different in terms of harm when compared to regular cigarettes and stop smoking medications, (95% and 81%, respectively). Motivations for trying e-cigarettes included they could be a cessation aid (59%), have less health risks (49%), and help cut down on cigarettes (42%). Educational Experience: A presentation followed by question and answer period. Benefits: This presentation will provide information on the awareness and use of e-cigarettes, beliefs about the harmfulness of e-cigarettes, and motivations for using e-cigarettes.