Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016;24(1):80-88.
doi: 10.3109/16066359.2015.1077947. Epub 2015 Sep 2.

Views of Experienced Electronic Cigarette Users

Raman Baweja  1 , Katherine M Curci  2 , Jessica Yingst  3 , Susan Veldheer  3 , Shari Hrabovsky  3 , Stephen J Wilson  4 , Travis T Nichols  4 , Thomas Eissenberg  5 , Jonathan Foulds  3
Affiliations

Views of Experienced Electronic Cigarette Users

Raman Baweja et al. Addict Res Theory. 2016.

Abstract

Background: Awareness and use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) has increased significantly in the last five years, but little is known about the experiences, satisfaction, opinions and preferences of e-cigs users.

Method: 1177 participants completed an online survey about their electronic cigarette preferences, of which 200 were randomly selected for analysis. The data was analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative methods.

Results: Participants found the design, the ability to customize, and the quality of vapor to be the most important characteristics of the device. Participants thought the most positive aspects of e-cig use were help to quit smoking, improved overall health, and reduced cost. The negative aspects associated with use were mainly related to side effects, such as dry mouth. When asked to explain how e-cigs were used differently than cigarettes, participants reported puffing more regularly, but taking fewer puffs per session.

Conclusions: Experienced e-cig users stated that initiating e-cig use helped them to quit or reduce their conventional smoking, which they believe reduced their health risks. In comparison to cigarette smoking, e-cig users reported using their e-cig more times per day, but with fewer puffs at each use time. Users acknowledged that more research is needed to understand the safety and long-term effects of use. They mentioned dry mouth as a common side effect and common problems with reliability of e-cigs. Understanding these views may help health professionals to assess and assist e-cig users, and in the future, may help regulators to improve quality and reduce risks.

Keywords: Dependence; Electronic cigarette; Experience; Public Health; Smoking; Survey.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow of data collection.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Adkison SE, O'Connor RJ, Bansal-Travers M, Hyland A, Borland R, Yong HH, et al. Electronic nicotine delivery systems: international tobacco control four-country survey. Am J Prev Med. 2013;44(3):207–215. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ayers JW, Ribisl KM, Brownstein JS. Tracking the rise in popularity of electronic nicotine delivery systems (electronic cigarettes) using search query surveillance. Am J Prev Med. 2011;40(4):448–453. - PubMed
    1. Barbeau AM, Burda J, Siegel M. Perceived efficacy of e-cigarettes versus nicotine replacement therapy among successful e-cigarette users: a qualitative approach. Addict Sci Clin Pract. 2013;8:5. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Braun V, Clarke V. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative research in psychology. 2006;3(2):77–101.
    1. Bullen C, McRobbie H, Thornley S, Glover M, Lin R, Laugesen M. Effect of an electronic nicotine delivery device (e cigarette) on desire to smoke and withdrawal, user preferences and nicotine delivery: randomised cross-over trial. Tob Control. 2010;19(2):98–103. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources