Electronic cigarette use among university students aged 18–24 years in New Zealand: results of a 2018 national cross-sectional survey

Abstract

ObjectivesTo examine electronic cigarette use, reasons for use and perceptions of harm among university students.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingUniversity students across New Zealand.MethodsWe analysed data from a 2018 cross-sectional survey of university students, weighted to account for undersampling and oversampling by gender and university size. χ2 tests were used to compare e-cigarette use, reasons for use and perceptions of harm by age, gender, ethnicity and cigarette smoking.ParticipantsThe sample comprised 1476 students: 62.3% aged 18–20 years, 37.7% aged 21–24 years; 38.6% male, 61.4% female; 7.9% Māori and 92.1% non-Māori.Results40.5% of respondents (95% CI 37.9 to 43.1) reported ever, 6.1% (4.9–7.4) current and 1.7% (1.1–2.5) daily use. Regardless of frequency, 11.5% of vapers had vaped daily for ≥1 month, 70.2% of whom used nicotine-containing devices; 80.8% reported not vaping in indoor and 73.8% in outdoor smoke-free spaces. Among ever vapers, curiosity (67.4%), enjoyment (14.4%) and quitting (2.4%) were common reasons for vaping. 76.1% (73.4–78.7) of respondents believed e-cigarettes were less harmful than cigarettes.More males than females reported vaping (ever, current, daily and daily for ≥1 month), nicotine use and belief that e-cigarettes were less harmful than cigarettes. More participants aged 18–20 years reported not vaping in outdoor smoke-free spaces, vaping out of curiosity and belief that e-cigarettes were less harmful than cigarettes, while more participants aged 21–24 years vaped daily for ≥1 month and for enjoyment. More Māori than non-Māori ever vaped. More cigarette smokers than non-smokers vaped (ever, current, daily and daily for ≥1 month), used nicotine and vaped to quit, while more non-smokers did not vape in smoke-free spaces and vaped out of curiosity.ConclusionsOur results suggest high prevalence of e-cigarette ever and current use, particularly among males and smokers. Many vaped out of curiosity and perceived e-cigarettes as less harmful than cigarettes.

Attitudes towards the New Zealand Government’s Smokefree 2025 goal associated with smoking and vaping in university students aged 18 to 24 years: results of a 2018 national cross-sectional survey

“…Participants taking the survey online could not proceed without a 'Yes' response to this question, while all participants who completed the survey on paper were deemed to have consented even if they did not provide a response. 12 Participants, regardless of survey route (online or paper) could opt to enter into a draw to win 1 of 10 NZ$100 cash prizes after completing the survey as a token of appreciation for participation. 12 Data were de-identified before analysis, and duplicate entries in the online survey were removed with the help of the Internet Protocol (IP) address.…”

“…Participants taking the survey online could not proceed without a ‘Yes’ response to this question, while all participants who completed the survey on paper were deemed to have consented even if they did not provide a response. 12 …”

“…In 2018/2019 the overall prevalence of current vaping (ie, vaping at least once a month) in NZ was estimated at 4.7% (8.8% in people aged 18 to 24 years) 4 and 6.1% in university students aged 18 to 24 years. 12 Literature on the Smokefree goal (awareness, support, perceptions on its achievability and the potential role of e-cigarettes or vaping) is lacking. Available data come from the 2018 Youth Insights Survey (YIS), which included 2758 Year 10 students (predominantly ages 14 and 15 years) from across the country.…”

“…Those who reported vaping at least once a month or more frequently were defined as 'current vapers', consistent with previous studies. 12 [24][25][26][27] The questions on vaping were adapted from Pearson and others. 28 Respondents were grouped into four groups: (1) current smoker and current vaper (dual user), (2) current smoker and non-current vaper (current smoker), (3) current vaper and non-current smoker (current vaper) and (4) non-current smoker and non-current vaper (non-user).…”

“…In 2018/2019 the overall prevalence of current vaping (ie, vaping at least once a month) in NZ was estimated at 4.7% (8.8% in people aged 18 to 24 years) 4 and 6.1% in university students aged 18 to 24 years. 12 …”