Introduction As e-cigarette use increases, questions about individual and public health effects remain unanswered (e.g. cessation tool, addiction path). Despite increasing use, few studies have focused on vape shop patrons. This study examined whether vape shop patrons believe their health is affected by the use of e-cigs; more specifically, the aim was to evaluate the association between e-cig use, change in tobacco use, and perception of health. Methods A survey of e-cig users (N=78) was conducted in vape shops. Questions included e-cig and traditional tobacco use, health perceptions, and demographics. Descriptive techniques were used to characterize participants as either those who perceived e-cig use improved their health or those who perceived their health unaffected. Logistic regression assessed the association between change in tobacco use, e-cig use, and perception of health effects. Results Most reported daily e-cig (91%) and current (11.5%) or former (78.2%) combustible cigarette use. Approximately, three-fourths (76.9%) perceived better health; the remainder (23.1%) perceived unaffected health. Change in cigarette use was significantly associated with perceptions that health is better with e-cig use. Participants who decreased cigarette use by 2-3 cartons/month and more than 3 cartons/month were significantly more likely to indicate that e-cig use has improved their health compared to those who decreased tobacco use by 1.5 cartons or fewer per month (OR=4.35, 95% CI: 1.13-16.9; OR=25.67, 95% CI: 2.97-221.7, respectively). Conclusions The majority of e-cig users perceived better health. Our findings suggest that health campaign designers should carefully assess the scientific uncertainty surrounding the use of these devices and consider means to clearly convey this information. Given the lack of scientific agreement on the health effects of e-cigs and the important role that perceptions play in behavior, health campaign designers, health education practitioners, policy makers, and health care providers should err on the side of caution when advising individuals about e-cig use.

Cigarettes have been a staple of society for hundreds of years; only 60 years ago did the world begin to realize the damage they cause. In the following decades, the U.S. government poured money into anti-smoking campaigns and enacted new legislation that would help educate the American people on the risks of smoking. These efforts had promising results; as of the early 2010s, smoking levels continued to decrease. However, within the past ten years, the rise of electronic cigarettes surprised public health officials by providing a novel delivery system for nicotine, and creating a new set of consequences. E-cigarettes caught the attention of the nation’s youth, resulting in a headline-worthy “vaping epidemic.” In response, multiple studies were conducted to try to understand the draw and effects of e-cigarettes on adolescents. These projects ranged from national surveys to individual interviews, all aimed at teenagers and young adults. As a result, there is now literature that provides information regarding perceptions and beliefs of youth towards to e-cigarettes. Social considerations (competitions with blowing smoke rings, fitting in with a crowd, feeling cool) were some of the most important to participants, across multiple studies. Other considerations, such as stress relief, the buzz from nicotine, and the multiple flavor options, also played roles in whether an individual chose to use e-cigarettes. Most of these studies focus on adolescents and young adults, leaving the millennial generation (those born between 1981 – 1996) largely excluded from the current research. This gap in the literature is a notable one, as millennials are an ever-growing force in American society. To that end, this paper proposes a mixed-method study to discover the motivations, perceptions, and beliefs of millennials towards e-cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes. It will consist of an initial survey to a large population, with a second stage of individual interviews with a select number of participants. By using different methods of data collection, the goal is to gain both large amounts of data on general positions, as well as understand the nuance of opinions through interviews. This study hopes to contribute to the body of literature for e-cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes, with a focus on the millennial generation. This subsection of the US population is one that will have increasing influence in the years to come, and so understanding its perceptions and beliefs of tobacco and e-cigarettes will be vital for future public health efforts.

Electronic cigarettes are a recent trend that has spark interest in young adults and teens. Due to the recent growth of electronic cigarette companies and their low manufacturing costs, this has allowed the entry-level price point to be drastically low allowing for teens and adults to become users. These products deliver an addictive dose of nicotine and, in the last years, have caused unexpected pulmonary complications that have often resulted in hospitalization. This project is a three-part study that aims to identify contaminants, nicotine concentration, and the psychological reasoning behind vaping. The first part of the study is a statistical overview of the population of students that do smoke and the psychological reason for them starting. This study focuses on the students at University of Central Florida. The second part is the utilization of analytical methods to determine the nicotine concentration and identify any contaminants found in electronic cigarette liquids. This part utilizes gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS). Additionally, all chemicals that are identified using the GCMS are thoroughly reviewed to determine its usefulness in the electronic cigarette liquid and its effect on the human body. Acid-base titrations are used by many companies and by avid "DIY" vape users to determine the nicotine concentration in the liquid that has been manufactured. This method is very inaccurate and can only give a rough estimate of the nicotine concentration. The third part uses acid-base titrations to determine the nicotine concentration of the electronic cigarette liquids and compare them to the analytic data found in the previous test that utilizes gas chromatography.

BACKGROUND: E-cigarette use has grown in popularity, especially as the devices have been touted as smoking cessation tools. In an exploratory study, we sought to compare dual users (i.e., users of both combustible tobacco and e-cigarettes) to e-cigarette only users. METHODS: The Electronic Cigarette Opinion Survey (ECOS) was employed to assess users' (n=78) perceptions and consumption of e-cigarettes and combustible cigarettes. Quantity of e-juice and nicotine used and time of initial nicotine exposure were assessed. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between e-cigarette use behaviors and being an e-cigarette only user compared to a dual user. RESULTS: Compared to dual users, e-cigarette only users consumed higher levels of nicotine in e-juice (p=0.0009) and more nicotine per month (p=0.03). For dual users, the time of first nicotine exposure after waking was significantly earlier than for e-cigarette only users (mean= 9.6 minutes (SD= 8.0) and mean= 26.6 minutes (SD= 22.0), respectively; p=0.0056). Results from the regression models suggest the amount of e-juice consumed and time of first nicotine exposure after waking are significantly associated with being an e-cigarette only user. CONCLUSIONS: These findings shed light on the perceptions and use patterns of e-cigarette only users compared to dual users. As regulation of e-cigarettes is considered, understanding the impact of e-cigarettes and dual use is imperative. Despite frequent marketing claims that e-cigarettes are completely safe, health campaigns need to convey emerging and mixed findings on safety as well as current scientific uncertainty to the public.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Rates of vaping among high school students have increased significantly over the past decade. Prior research has found significant associations between youth vaping and substance use. However, little is known about how vaping is associated with various patterns of polysubstance use and asthma in youth. We aimed to identify how youth are best categorized into classes based on co-occurring vaping and polysubstance use behaviors, how these classes are associated with youth background and demographic characteristics, and if these classes significantly predict asthma outcomes. Our sample consisted of nationally representative data from the 2017 and 2019 waves of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (N = 28,442). We utilized Latent Class Analysis, multinomial logistic regression analyses, and binary logistic regression analyses to examine relationships between youth vaping, polysubstance use, and asthma. Three latent classes of substance use were identified: Polysubstance Users, Lifetime Alcohol and Vape Users, and Abstainers. Age, gender, grade and race were all significantly associated with odds of membership in the Polysubstance Users class, compared to the Abstainers class. Sexual identity was not associated with class membership. Membership in the Polysubstance Users class was significantly associated with higher odds of asthma, as compared to membership in the other two classes. These findings indicate that recent vaping is associated with high probabilities of recent polysubstance use. They also suggest that youth with high probabilities of vaping and polysubstance use are at significantly high risk for asthma compared to other classes vi of youth users and non-users. We recommend that future youth intervention strategies be tailored differently toward different classes of substance use and vaping. Future research should examine how the classes of vaping and substance use that we identify emerge in youth and what social factors (e.g., peer behavior, parental connectedness, etc.) influence their development.

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