Prevalence and Perceptions of Cigarettes, Vaping, and Waterpipe Among Veterans

Abstract

Introduction: Vaping has become an epidemic with serious health concerns. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released a national alert on vaping hazards and its associations with a mysterious lung disease. The prevalence of alternative tobacco products such as waterpipe and vaping have been on the rise, with health hazards similar to those of cigarettes. However, the public is less aware of those hazards. Because the literature on alternative tobacco use among Veterans is limited, the purpose of this study is to examine veterans’ use, perceptions, and knowledge of the hazards linked to alternative tobacco products. Materials and Methods: A convenience sample of 200 veterans seeking medical care at the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center, primary care clinics completed a survey on tobacco use. Results: Cigarettes remain the most prevalent form of tobacco used by veterans. The prevalence of “ever use” of waterpipe and/or vaping was 21% among participants, and almost all of those participants also reported cigarette use, 20.5%. About 42% of participants were unaware of harm levels from waterpipe. Discussion: Veterans are unaware of the risks associated with vaping and other alternative tobacco products and show similar use rates as the general population. Because educational campaigns have proven to be successful in decreasing smoking, the next step is to conduct educational campaigns on the hazards of alternative tobacco products among the veteran population to address myths and misperceptions regarding those products.

Vaping among College Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Due to recent studies that investigated associations between vaping and COVID-19, as well as the role of media in highlighting information about vaping and the pandemic, additional questions relating to knowledge, harm level, and intentions to use of vape products were also included in the survey. Those questions were adapted from prior published work [31,32] .…”

Policy and Behavior: Comparisons between Twitter Discussions about the US Tobacco 21 Law and Other Age-Related Behaviors

“…Recently, e-cigarette companies such as JUUL have mimicked these marketing strategies by creating military focused campaigns [ 14 ]. With as many as 20% and 30% of active military and veterans reporting that they use e-cigarette products [ 15 , 16 ] and combustible cigarettes [ 17 ], respectively, it is not surprising that the tobacco industry aggressively supports military exemptions from Tobacco 21 laws [ 14 ]. These exemptions are concerning due to evidence that e-cigarette use among nicotine-naïve youth and young adults increases their risk for initiation and prolonged use of combustible cigarettes [ 18 , 19 , 20 ] which could translate to higher morbidity and mortality rates among military members’ as well as increases in the Veterans Health Association health care costs [ 4 ].…”