More and more Americans think that e-cigarettes are harmful, according to a study



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According to a new badysis, more and more American adults perceive e-cigarettes as as harmful as regular cigarettes

Researchers examined data from the Tobacco Products Survey and Risk Perceptions, administered by the Georgia State University Center for Tobacco Science, and the National Health Trends Survey, administered by the National Cancer Institute; the two representative national surveys are administered annually to US adults

When the results of the two surveys were combined, the percentage of people who thought the e-cigarette was less harmful than the regular cigarette dropped from 45% in 2012 to 35% in 2017. The number of people who thought that cigarettes was also harmful the number of cigarettes increased by 45% during this period, and the percentage of people who believe that e-cigarettes are more harmful remained low, at less than 10%, according to the results, released Friday in the JAMA.

The results "underscore the urgent need to communicate the risks of e-cigarettes to the public," the authors note, fearing that more and more people will consider e-cigarettes to be more harmful than cigarettes, will be less willing to take security measures. the transition from one to the other.

Electronic cigarettes work by heating a pure liquid called ejuice – composed of flavors, propylene glycol, glycerin and often nicotine – until it vaporizes. The resulting steam is far less offensive to smokers and non-smokers.

In 2017, the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine concluded that "electronic cigarettes pose less risk to an individual than combustible tobacco products".

Since then, however, studies have badociated the use of electronic cigarettes with an increased risk of A heart attack, a stroke, a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other respiratory diseases at rates similar to those of traditional cigarettes in some cases, explained Stanton A. Glantz, a professor at the Center for Research and Development. Tobacco Control Education from the University of California at San Francisco. an editorial published next to the study in JAMA.

The vision of those whom Glantz describes as "optimists of the electronic cigarette" is that smokers switch completely from cigarettes to electronic cigarettes, he said. But contrary to their hopes, about two-thirds of adult users of electronic cigarettes continue to use both.

"The risks badociated with the use of the electronic cigarette add to the risks badociated with combustible cigarettes," he added, which means that people who use both have a higher risk of smoking. heart disease and lung disease than those who smoke only ordinary cigarettes.

While the long-term effects of e-cigarette use continue to be understood, the evolution of risk perception by the public may benefit more to a group of people: adolescents and young adults .

Young people who have negative opinions about e-cigarettes are less likely to use them, which is important to limit their consumption in this group, said Glantz.

"In terms of general effects on public health, this youth explosion is using swamps for any potential harm reduction that may accompany adults pbading from cigarettes to electronic cigarettes."

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