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. 2014 Aug;16(8):1140-4.
doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntu060. Epub 2014 Apr 22.

How U.S. adults find out about electronic cigarettes: implications for public health messages

Jessica K Pepper  1 , Sherry L Emery  2 , Kurt M Ribisl  3 , Noel T Brewer  3
Affiliations

How U.S. adults find out about electronic cigarettes: implications for public health messages

Jessica K Pepper et al. Nicotine Tob Res. 2014 Aug.

Abstract

Introduction: Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are battery-powered nicotine delivery systems that have become increasingly popular in the United States. We sought to understand how U.S. adults hear about e-cigarettes.

Methods: A national sample of 17,522 U.S. adults (≥ 18 years old) completed an online survey in March 2013 assessing their awareness of and sources of information about e-cigarettes.

Results: Most respondents (86%) had heard of e-cigarettes. Current and former smokers were more likely to be aware of e-cigarettes than non-smokers. Males, younger adults, non-Hispanic Whites, and those with higher education were also more likely to have heard of e-cigarettes. The most commonly reported sources of information were another person, ads on television, and seeing e-cigarettes being sold, although the relative frequency of these sources differed for current, former, and never-smokers. Former and current smokers were more likely to have heard about e-cigarettes from e-cigarette users than were never-smokers. Adults age 30 years or younger were more likely than adults older than 30 years to have heard about e-cigarettes online.

Conclusions: Nearly all U.S. adults had heard of e-cigarettes in 2013. By focusing on the most common channels of information, public health campaigns can more efficiently communicate information about e-cigarette safety and consider necessary regulations should companies use these channels for marketing that targets youth, non-tobacco users, and other at-risk groups.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Channels of awareness of e-cigarettes among current smokers (n = 6,311), former smokers (n = 3,709), and never-smokers (n = 5,551) who have heard of e-cigarettes.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Increase in awareness of e-cigarettes among U.S. adults: 16% in 2009 (Regan et al., 2013), 37% (mean) in 2010 (King et al., 2013; Pearson et al., 2012; Regan et al., 2013), 58% in 2011 (King et al., 2013), 75% in 2012 (Zhu et al., 2013), and 86% in 2013.
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