E-Cigarette Use among Male Smokers in Al-Ahsa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Ahmed M Al Rajeh; Ilias Mahmud; Mahmudul Hassan Al Imam; Muhammad Aziz Rahman; Fariss Al Shehri; Salman Alomayrin; Nawaf Alfazae; Yousif Mohammed Elmosaad; Ibrahim Alasqah

doi:10.3390/ijerph20010143

E-Cigarette Use among Male Smokers in Al-Ahsa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Dec 22;20(1):143. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20010143.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Respiratory Care, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia.
² Department of Public Health, College of Public Health and Health Informatics, Qassim University, Al-Bukairiyah 52741, Saudi Arabia.
³ School of Health, Medical, and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, QLD 4701, Australia.
⁴ Central Queensland Public Health Unit, Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Rockhampton, QLD 4701, Australia.
⁵ Institute of Health and Wellbeing, Federation University Australia, Berwick, VIC 3350, Australia.
⁶ Australian Institute for Primary Care & Ageing (AIPCA), La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC 3086, Australia.
⁷ Department of Public Health, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

E-cigarette use is increasing globally. Recent evidence suggests that e-cigarettes contain harmful substances that could cause adverse health outcomes. This study investigated the prevalence and associated factors of e-cigarette use among male current smokers in Saudi Arabia. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of adult male current smokers in the Al-Ahsa province of Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. We performed logistic regression analyses to investigate the factors associated with e-cigarette use among adult male current smokers. 325 current smokers participated in the study. A third of them (33.5%) were e-cigarette users. Almost all the study participants (97.0%) had heard about e-cigarettes. Participants who were occasional smokers (Odds Ratio (OR): 2.28; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.17-4.41) and had good knowledge perception of e-cigarettes (OR 3.49; 95% CI: 2.07-5.90) had higher odds of using e-cigarettes when compared to regular smokers of conventional cigarettes and current smokers with poor knowledge perception of e-cigarettes, respectively. In contrast, private employees (OR: 0.25, 95% CI: 0.07-0.85), and business owners (OR: 0.09, 95% CI: 0.01-0.63) had lower odds of using e-cigarettes compared to unemployed individuals. Compared with non-e-cigarette users, the rate of conventional cigarette smoking per day was significantly lower among e-cigarette users. Use of e-cigarette (OR: 3.57, 95% CI: 2.14-5.98), believing that e-cigarette quitting is hard (OR: 2.02, 95% CI: 1.17-3.49) and trying to quit e-cigarettes (OR: 2.17, 95% CI: 1.1-4.25) were found to be significant predictors of good knowledge perception of e-cigarettes among the current smokers. The use and knowledge perception of e-cigarettes were higher among occasional conventional male cigarette smokers than regular male smokers in Al-Ahsa province. The use of e-cigarettes as smoking cessation aids should be examined further in the Saudi Arabian setting.

Keywords: Saudi Arabia; cigarette; e-cigarette; smoking.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Cross-Sectional Studies
Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems*
Humans
Male
Saudi Arabia / epidemiology
Smokers
Tobacco Products*

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Deanship of Scientific Research, Vice Presidency for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia [Grant No. GRANT1574].