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© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

The prevalence of e-cigarette use (vaping) in young adults is concerning, particularly because the initiation of combustible tobacco use is higher in e-cigarette vapers. It is unclear why young, never-smoker vapers decide to start smoking cigarettes, but they may be influenced by perceptions of health risks and accessibility. We designed a social media questionnaire to assess factors driving the initiation of combustible tobacco use by e-cigarette vapers (multi-inhalant use) and switches between inhalant types. Respondents reported an earlier initiation of combustible tobacco versus vaping (18 vs. 19, respectively, p < 0.0001), greater ease of obtaining combustibles versus vaping products (p < 0.01), and pleasure of vaping being equivalent to that of smoking. The majority of subjects (57%) reported smoking first prior to adding vaping devices, 32% reported initiating both smoking and vaping within 12 months of one another, and 11% reported initiating vaping first. Among respondents (n = 864) who switched from vaping to smoking (n = 104), the primary reasons included 1. the perception that smoking was healthier (44%) and 2. greater accessibility of cigarettes (40%). For those who switched from smoking to vaping (n = 178), the predominant motivations included 1. having friends or family who vape (40%) and 2. the perception that vaping was healthier (36%). Among multi-inhalant users (n = 223), key factors driving this behavior included 1. increased enjoyment (47%) and 2. greater variety (42%). Our findings imply that there is no single, dominant reason driving the initiation of combustible use or switching from one inhalant to another. Further, tobacco users are receiving mixed messaging, leading many to believe that combustible tobacco is the healthier option. Public health interventions are needed to prevent the initiation of e-cigarette vaping by youth and to educate the public about the health effects of tobacco products.

Details

Title
Perceptions of Health Risks and Accessibility: A Social Media-Based Pilot Study of Factors Influencing Use of Vaping and Combustible Tobacco Products
Author
Banjo Enitan 1 ; Ahadian Zoya 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Kasaraneni Nikita 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Chang, Howard 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Perera Sarala 2 ; Emory, Kristen 1 ; Crotty Alexander Laura E. 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Department of Health Sciences, California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), Carson, CA 90747, USA; [email protected] (E.B.); [email protected] (K.E.) 
 Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep and Physiology, University of California San Diego (UCSD), San Diego, CA 92093, USA; [email protected] (Z.A.); [email protected] (N.K.); [email protected] (H.C.); [email protected] (S.P.) 
 Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep and Physiology, University of California San Diego (UCSD), San Diego, CA 92093, USA; [email protected] (Z.A.); [email protected] (N.K.); [email protected] (H.C.); [email protected] (S.P.), Medicine Service, Pulmonary and Critical Care Section, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, CA 92161, USA 
First page
800
Publication year
2025
Publication date
2025
Publisher
MDPI AG
ISSN
1661-7827
e-ISSN
1660-4601
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3211982138
Copyright
© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.