The era of electronic smoking: perceptions and use of E-Cigarettes among university students, Egypt

Abstract

Egypt is among the countries with the highest number of tobacco users in the Arab world. There is a scarcity of available data concerning the awareness and use of E-cigarettes in Egypt, particularly among young people. This study aimed to assess the students` perceptions and practices of E-smoking and highlight factors affecting it. A cross-sectional study among 368 students from four faculties. Data were collected via a predesigned questionnaire including socio-demographics, questions regarding knowledge, attitude, and practices related to E-smoking. Prevalence of E-smoking was 10.60%. Moderate to high knowledge regarding E-cigarettes with male predominance was shown. Participants reported multiple reasons for E- smoking; the most frequent was keeping with fashion (33.70%) followed by the influence of peers (27.70%). The majority had a positive attitude against E-cigarettes and reported that they might lead to different illnesses (78.30%). E-cigarette’s smokers reported side effects; cough (61.50%), headache (53.80%), dizziness (51.30%), and 48% reported dry mouth& throat. Only 4.90% of smokers ever tried to quit smoking E-cigarettes, and 41.0% seriously think about quitting. Concerning risk factors associated with E-cigarettes, the highest risk was being male (OR = 10.35), followed by having friends who use E-cigarettes (OR = 8.72) and family not opposing using E-cigarettes (OR = 4.88). The prevalence of E-smoking was 10.60%. The majority had a limited knowledge about E-cigarettes. Male sex, having a family member or a friend smoking E-cigarettes, and family not opposing smoking were the main predictors for E-smoking among studied participants.