What do we really know about e-cigarettes and vaping?

Electronic cigarettes hang teens with nicotine. Or they help cigarette smokers looking to quit. Or they can be harmful in another way. These competing messages make devices a sensitive topic for health communicators, says Cabral Bigman, professor of communication in Illinois, whose research focuses on health communication issues related to vaping. She spoke with Craig Chamberlain, social science editor at News Bureau.

What does the research say about public attitudes or beliefs about electronic cigarettes? And how do those who jibe with what we know?

Some people perceive the risks of vaping as similar to, or even more important than, smoking. However, it is more common that people think that vaping or exposure to second-hand steam is less harmful. Current research suggests that vaping is globally less harmful than smoking. But less damaging does not necessarily mean no harm. The truth is that there is still no good idea of ​​the long-term effects of vaporization or exposure to vapor or aerosol from time to time. Science is always evolving.

Some experts view e-cigarettes as a promising harm reduction strategy for smokers. New evidence shows that under certain circumstances, e-cigarettes can help quit smoking. An example is a British study published in January in The New England Journal of Medicine, who found that counseling badociated with the use of electronic cigarettes was more effective than other methods of nicotine replacement combined with counseling.

However, it should be noted that the US Food and Drug Administration has not specifically approved e-cigarettes for quitting; there are alternative nicotine replacement strategies that have more established antecedents. In the UK study, most people who quit smoking with e-cigarettes were still running out of steam when the researchers followed them a year later. This was not the case for the other methods. There may be risks and benefits to using electronic cigarettes for this purpose.

Another concern is that young people who are not smokers try to try vaping and expose themselves to an increased risk of nicotine and potentially harmful chemicals. At present, one of the most popular electronic cigarette products contains a lot more nicotine per pod than a regular cigarette and therefore presents a risk of addiction, but people do not realize it always.

Overall, e – cigarettes are relatively untested products and the type of chemicals and their modes of operation vary considerably. At this point, we do not know exactly what the long-term health impacts will be, including those of specific types of technologies and flavors of electronic cigarettes.

Some of your studies in this area have examined the willingness of individuals to speak openly about the smoking of others versus the manufacture of electronic cigarettes in public places. What did you find?

According to our survey of American adults, my colleagues and I found that Americans are more willing to talk and oppose smoking than others smoke in public places such as restaurants, bars and parks. . For example, about 50% of our survey respondents stated that they would ask someone not to smoke in a restaurant if they could not get away from the smoke, but only about 16% said the same thing about vaping.

These conclusions make sense because, as I mentioned earlier, Americans tend to view vaping as less dangerous than smoking. We found that people who considered vaping to be harmful to their health were generally more supportive of regulations to limit it in public places and say that they would talk about it.

Why is this research important?

We are at a stage where policy makers are implementing various tobacco policies across the United States. Some policies, such as the smoke-free policy on the Illinois campus, include restrictions on vaping. This research helps us understand public opinion on vaping. It also suggests that we should not necessarily expect people to speak out or apply these anti-smoking policies themselves, which could affect their effectiveness.

According to what we know and do not know about the health risks of electronic cigarettes, what are the marketing messages that concern you the most?

What concerns me the most is the messages that attract – intentionally or not – children and adolescents, especially when these messages are misleading. The number of teenagers claiming to have used electronic cigarettes has increased significantly over the last year. The American surgeon general recently called the epidemic the use of electronic cigarettes among young people.

In countering this trend, it is encouraging to see policymakers begin to take action, particularly because the public clearly supports policies that help limit the access and appeal of e-cigarettes to children and young people. teens.

Given the difficulties of communication in this area, it is important to know the facts, especially at a time when unreliable health information can proliferate on the Internet and on social media. I encourage people to search for credible sources such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to learn more about e-cigarettes, the risks of vaping for children and young adults, and strategies for quitting smoking.

Provided by
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign