Home > Prevalence, lived experiences and user profiles in e-cigarette use: a mixed methods study among French college students.

Kinouani, Shérazade and Da Cruz, Héléna and Langlois, Emmanuel and Tzourio, Christophe (2024) Prevalence, lived experiences and user profiles in e-cigarette use: a mixed methods study among French college students. PLoS ONE, 19, (2), e0297156. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0297156.

External website: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.13...

BACKGROUND Little is known about e-cigarette use in French students. Our aims were to estimate the prevalence of e-cigarette experimentation and current e-cigarette use; describe the reasons for using e-cigarettes; explore the vaping experience and identify the profiles of e-cigarette users.

METHODS We used a sequential, explanatory mixed methods design in a sample of French college students. Quantitative data was collected online for a cross-sectional analysis among 1698 students. Two separate analysis based on the thematic analysis and the Grounded Theory were also performed in 20 semi-structured interviews, focusing former and current smokers also current vapers.

RESULTS The prevalence of e-cigarette experimentation was 39.3% (95% CI: 35.2-44.0) and 5.1% (95% CI: 3.2-8.0) of students were current e-cigarette users. Experimentation was opportunistic while current usage was rational, requiring to acquire a personal electronic device, getting used to its technicality, appreciating its availability, discretion, and learning the practice. In this context, three distinct groups of e-cigarette users were identified, based on assumed identity, tobacco and e-cigarette use, the functions assigned to e-cigarettes, and intentions with regards to vaping in the future.

CONCLUSION Despite some limitations mainly related to the participants self-selection, this research showed that while many smokers and former smokers have tried e-cigarettes in this student population, few have continued to use them continuously. Moreover, these current e-cigarette users were a heterogeneous group. Longitudinal studies are needed in young adult smokers for a better understanding of how their tobacco and e-cigarette use affect each other and change over time.


Item Type
Article
Publication Type
International, Open Access, Article
Drug Type
Tobacco / Nicotine
Intervention Type
Harm reduction
Date
2024
Identification #
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0297156
Publisher
Public Library of Science
Volume
19
Number
2
EndNote

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