Knowledge and Attitudes Among Medical Students Toward the Clinical Usage of e-Cigarettes: A Cross-Sectional Study in a University Hospital in Saudi Arabia

Sami H Alzahrani; Rawan A Alghamdi; Ahmed Mabruk Almutairi; Ali Ahmed Alghamdi; Abdullah Abdulwahab Aljuhani; Abdulrahman Hamed ALbalawi

doi:10.2147/RMHP.S302309

Knowledge and Attitudes Among Medical Students Toward the Clinical Usage of e-Cigarettes: A Cross-Sectional Study in a University Hospital in Saudi Arabia

Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2021 May 13:14:1969-1984. doi: 10.2147/RMHP.S302309. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Sami H Alzahrani¹, Rawan A Alghamdi², Ahmed Mabruk Almutairi³, Ali Ahmed Alghamdi³, Abdullah Abdulwahab Aljuhani³, Abdulrahman Hamed ALbalawi³

Affiliations

¹ Family Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
² Ibn Sina National College for Medical Studies, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
³ Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Background: To assess knowledge and attitudes about e-smoking among undergraduate medical students, specifically focused on favorable view of therapeutic e-cigarette use for smoking cessation or harm reduction.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included medical students at King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia. A six-item subscale was used to explore knowledge and attitudes about the therapeutic use of e-cigarettes, measuring participants' likelihood of favoring such use. A four-item questionnaire measured confidence and importance of being educated about smoking and e-smoking, in addition to sources of knowledge about e-cigarettes.

Results: A total of 399 students participated. Smoking history included current smokers (19.8%) and ex-smokers (6.5%), while e-cigarettes were tried by 36.6% and are currently used by 11.5%. A minority (13.5%) believed that e-cigarettes are FDA-approved for smoking cessation, while approximately one-third believed e-smoking lowers cancer risks (31.1%) and could help with smoking cessation (31.1%). Further, 35.9% agreed or strongly agreed that e-cigarettes are better for patients than tobacco products, and 17.5% were likely to recommend e-smoking to their patients for smoking cessation. Reliability of the six-item scale showed Cronbach's alpha = 0.676, which was enhanced to 0.746 after deletion of one item about addictiveness. Using the corrected five-item scale, 23.6% of the participants would favor therapeutic use of e-cigarettes.

Conclusion: We observed several misconceptions about addictiveness and inadequate awareness about e-cigarettes' harmful effects, leading to non-scientific opinions about its therapeutic use for harm reduction or in smoking cessation. Academic programs around this topic should be updated in accordance with majority expert recommendations.

Keywords: Saudi Arabia; e-cigarette; knowledge; medical students; smoking cessation; therapeutic; vaping.

Grants and funding

This work was funded by the Deanship of Scientific Research (DSR), KAU, Jeddah, under grant No. DF-344-140-1441. The authors acknowledge DSR with thanks for their technical and financial support. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.