Awareness, Trial, and Current Use of Electronic Cigarettes in 10 Countries: Findings from the ITC Project

Shannon Gravely, Geoffrey T. Fong*, K. Michael Cummings, Mi Yan, Anne C. K. Quah, Ron Borland, Hua-Hie Yong, Sara C. Hitchman, Ann McNeill, David Hammond, James F. Thrasher, Marc C. Willemsen, Hong Gwan Seo, Yuan Jiang, Tania Cavalcante, Cristina Perez, Maizurah Omar, Karin Hummel

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

133 Citations (Scopus)
97 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Background: In recent years, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have generated considerable interest and debate on the implications for tobacco control and public health. Although the rapid growth of e-cigarettes is global, at present, little is known about awareness and use. This paper presents self-reported awareness, trial and current use of e-cigarettes in 10 countries surveyed between 2009 and 2013; for six of these countries, we present the first data on e-cigarettes from probability samples of adult smokers. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of probability samples of adult (>= 18 years) current and former smokers participating in the International Tobacco Control (ITC) surveys from 10 countries. Surveys were administered either via phone, face-to-face interviews, or the web. Survey questions included sociodemographic and smoking-related variables, and questions about e-cigarette awareness, trial and current use. Results: There was considerable cross-country variation by year of data collection and for awareness of e-cigarettes (Netherlands (2013: 88%), Republic of Korea (2010: 79%), United States (2010: 73%), Australia (2013: 66%), Malaysia (2011: 62%), United Kingdom (2010: 54%), Canada (2010: 40%), Brazil (2013: 35%), Mexico (2012: 34%), and China (2009: 31%)), in self-reports of ever having tried e-cigarettes (Australia, (20%), Malaysia (19%), Netherlands (18%), United States (15%), Republic of Korea (11%), United Kingdom (10%), Mexico (4%), Canada (4%), Brazil (3%), and China (2%)), and in current use (Malaysia (14%), Republic of Korea (7%), Australia (7%), United States (6%), United Kingdom (4%), Netherlands (3%), Canada (1%), and China (0.05%)). Conclusions: The cross-country variability in awareness, trial, and current use of e-cigarettes is likely due to a confluence of country-specific market factors, tobacco control policies and regulations (e.g., the legal status of e-cigarettes and nicotine), and the survey timing along the trajectory of e-cigarette awareness and trial/use in each country. These ITC results constitute an important snapshot of an early stage of what appears to be a rapid progression of global e-cigarette use.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)11691-11704
Number of pages14
JournalInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume11
Issue number11
Early online date12 Nov 2014
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2014

Keywords

  • e-cigarette
  • electronic cigarette
  • nicotine
  • smoking
  • international
  • NICOTINE DELIVERY-SYSTEMS
  • TOBACCO PRODUCT USE
  • SMOKING-CESSATION
  • ADULTS
  • HARM
  • STUDENTS
  • COMPETE
  • SMOKERS

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Awareness, Trial, and Current Use of Electronic Cigarettes in 10 Countries: Findings from the ITC Project'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this