Investigation on knowledge, attitude and practice on e-cigarette use among college students in Guiyang City / 预防医学

ABSTRACT

Objective @#To investigate the knowledge, attitude and practice on e-cigarette use among college students in Guiyang City, so as to provide insights into tobacco control health education among colleges and universities. Methods College students were sampled from full-time colleges and universities in Guiyang City using a multi-stage stratified cluster sampling method from March to May in 2022. Students' knowledge, attitude and practice on e-cigarette use were collected using a questionnaire designed based on the 2019 China National Youth Tobacco Survey Questionnaire, and factors affecting the attempt to use e-cigarette were identified using a multivariable logistic regression model. @* Methods@# College students were sampled from full-time colleges and universities in Guiyang City using a multi-stage stratified cluster sampling method from March to May in 2022. Students' knowledge, attitude and practice on e-cigarette use were collected using a questionnaire designed based on the 2019 China National Youth Tobacco Survey Questionnaire, and factors affecting the attempt to use e-cigarette were identified using a multivariable logistic regression model. @* Results @#Totally 2 800 questionnaires were recovered, including 2 694 valid questionnaires, with an effective recovery rate of 96.21%. The respondents included 687 males (25.50%) and 2 007 females (74.50%). The total score of knowledge on e-cigarette use was (2.95±1.02) points, and there were low proportions of knowing that e-cigarettes contained hazardous substances, including nicotine and tar (59.06%) and knowing that e-cigarette use may cause diseases (53.27%). The total score of attitudes towards e-cigarette use was (5.09±2.36) points, and 93.50% of respondents did not use e-cigarettes given by companions. There were 132 students with attempts to use e-cigarettes (4.90%), and there were 29 current e-cigarette users (1.08%). Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified age of 20 years and lower (OR=0.438, 95%CI 0.267-0.719), living in rural areas (OR=0.458, 95%CI 0.264-0.794), thinking that e-cigarettes are addictive (OR=0.449, 95%CI 0.217-0.928), and thinking that e-cigarette smoking is harmful (OR=0.263, 95%CI 0.131-0.527) as factors protecting from e-cigarette use, and monthly living expenses of more than 2 000 Yuan (OR=2.995, 95%CI 1.135-7.902), cigarette smoking (OR=19.826, 95%CI 11.385-34.527), and using companions' e-cigarettes (OR=9.141, 95%CI 5.534-15.101) and thinking that people around me support my use of e-cigarettes (OR=2.673, 95%CI 1.426-5.013) were risk factors for e-cigarette use among college students. @* Conclusions @#There is a low awareness rate of e-cigarette use among college students in Guiyang City, and the majority oppose e-cigarette use, with a low proportion of attempt to use e-cigarettes. Age, source of students, monthly living expenses, e-cigarette smoking, knowledge on e-cigarette use and use of companions' e-cigarettes may affect the attempt to use e-cigarettes.