Background: Preventing uptake of e-cigarette use among adolescents is critical to minimizing vaping-related harms. To inform the development of effective prevention programs and policies, this study explored potential determinants of susceptibility to e-cigarette use among young Australians.
Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was administered to 12- to 17-year-old Australians who had never smoked nor vaped (N = 973; 53 % women). The survey assessed susceptibility to e-cigarette use (curiosity about use, willingness to use, and intentions to use) and a comprehensive range of potential correlates that included individual, social, and environmental factors. Regression analyses were conducted to identify factors significantly correlated with each of the dependent variables.
Results: Susceptibility to e-cigarette use was observed in 45 % of respondents. Individual factors associated with susceptibility included respondents' (i) overall opinion of e-cigarettes, (ii) attitudes toward e-cigarettes, (iii) affect regulation expectancies, and (iv) quitting perceptions. Significant social factors included both descriptive and injunctive norms, specifically: perceiving that use is ok for people of one's age, approval from important others to use, and having at least one family member or close friend who vapes.
Conclusion: Susceptibility to vaping was observed in a substantial proportion of adolescents who have never smoked. Shifting attitudes and social norms around e-cigarette use appears critical to reducing susceptibility. Recommended prevention efforts include the development of communications addressing misperceptions about the benefits of vaping on affect regulation and stricter regulations on e-cigarette advertising to reduce young Australians' exposure to claims that may result in favourable attitudes to e-cigarette use.
Keywords: Adolescents; E-cigarettes; Prevention; Susceptibility; Vaping.
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