E-Cigarette Use among Current Smokers Experiencing Homelessness

Arturo Durazo, Marlena Hartman-Filson, Holly Elser, Natalie M. Alizaga and Maya Vijayaraghavan
Additional contact information
Arturo Durazo: Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, University of California, 530 Parnassus Avenue Suite 366, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
Marlena Hartman-Filson: Division of General Internal Medicine, University of California, 1001 Potrero Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA
Holly Elser: Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, 770 Welch Road, Suite 100, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
Natalie M. Alizaga: Humanities and Social Sciences Division, Department of Psychology, Cañada College, 4200 Farm Hill Blvd, Bldg 03-139, Redwood City, CA 94061, USA
Maya Vijayaraghavan: Division of General Internal Medicine, University of California, 1001 Potrero Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 7, 1-11

Abstract: Two-thirds of cigarette smokers experiencing homelessness report using alternative tobacco products, including blunts, cigarillos (little cigars) or roll-your-own tobacco or electronic nicotine delivery systems such as e-cigarettes. We examined attitudes toward e-cigarette use and explored whether e-cigarette use patterns were associated with past-year cigarette quit attempts among current smokers experiencing homelessness. Among the 470 current cigarette smokers recruited from homeless service sites in San Francisco, 22.1% ( n = 65) reported the use of e-cigarettes in the past 30 days (‘dual users’). Compared to cigarette-only smokers, dual users considered e-cigarettes to be safer than cigarettes. Patterns of e-cigarette use, including the number of times used per day, duration of use during the day, manner of use and nicotine concentration were not associated with past-year cigarette quit attempts. Studies that examine the motivations for use of e-cigarettes, particularly for their use as smoking cessation aids, could inform interventions for tobacco use among people experiencing homelessness.

Keywords: tobacco; homelessness; cigarettes; e-cigarettes; smoking cessation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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