Background: Research has shown independent attention in the role of self-control and health/risk perceptions toward vaping in predicting vaping use among youth and young adults. Yet, there are good theoretical notions to believe that low self-control, perceptions toward vaping, and self-reported vaping are intertwined.
Objectives: To examine whether three different health/risk perceptions toward vaping mediate the effect of low self-control on vaping use among young adults.
Methods: A survey was administered to 325 undergraduate students attending a large university in the Midwest (Mean age = 19.5; 60.4% female; 73.1% White). Single and multiple mediation modeling strategies were used to assess the mediation hypothesis.
Results: Logistic regression results indicate that individuals with low self-control are more likely to vape (O.R. = 1.041, p < .05). Further, when health/risk perceptions are included in the models individually and simultaneously, it reduces the effect of low self-control on vaping between 15% and 37.5%, and renders low self-control to become non-significant.
Conclusions: Findings suggest the impact that harm/risk perceptions toward vaping have in engaging in this behavior. Thus, preventative efforts should target potential sources, such as media and advertisements, that may shape young adults' perceptions toward vaping.
Keywords: Vaping; electronic cigarettes; low self-control; mediation; perceptions.