Orientation of US Young Adults toward E-cigarettes and their Use in Public

Craig W Trumbo; Raquel Harper

doi:10.14485/HBPR.2.2.8

Orientation of US Young Adults toward E-cigarettes and their Use in Public

Health Behav Policy Rev. 2015 Mar 1;2(2):163-170. doi: 10.14485/HBPR.2.2.8.

Authors

Craig W Trumbo¹, Raquel Harper²

Affiliations

¹ Colorado State University, Department of Journalism and Media Communication, Fort Collins, CO.
² Massey University, School of English and Media Studies, Auckland, NZ.

Abstract

Objectives: We examined use of e-cigarettes and views toward their use in public.

Methods: An online survey of US adults aged 18-24 (N = 874) was used. Measures included tobacco/e-cigarette use, acceptability of public cigarette/e-cigarette use, intention to use e-cigarettes, attitudes and norms.

Results: There was greater acceptance of public e-cigarette use than cigarettes. A path model revealed that attitudes and norms concerning e-cigarettes predicted the use of e-cigarettes beyond the effect of smoking. Attitudes also were shown to predict intention for future e-cigarette use above the effect of current and past smoking, and to predict acceptability of public use of e-cigarettes.

Conclusions: Normative acceptance of e-smoking in public may contribute to the wider adoption of e-cigarettes.

Keywords: E-cigarettes; attitudes toward e-cigarettes; norms; public use.

Grants and funding

R03 DA033578/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States