Do Young People Perceive E-Cigarettes and Heated Tobacco as Less Harmful Than Traditional Cigarettes? A Survey from Poland

Ilona Wężyk-Caba, Dorota Kaleta, Radosław Zajdel, Łukasz Balwicki and Beata Świątkowska ()
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Ilona Wężyk-Caba: Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Medical University of Lodz, 7/9 Żeligowskiego Street, 90-752 Łódź, Poland
Dorota Kaleta: Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Medical University of Lodz, 7/9 Żeligowskiego Street, 90-752 Łódź, Poland
Radosław Zajdel: Department of Informatics in Business, University of Łódź, POW 3/5 Street, 90-255 Łódź, Poland
Łukasz Balwicki: Department of Public Health and Social Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, 7 Dębinki Street, 80-210 Gdańsk, Poland
Beata Świątkowska: Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Medical University of Lodz, 7/9 Żeligowskiego Street, 90-752 Łódź, Poland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 22, 1-9

Abstract: New tobacco and nicotine-containing products are gaining more popularity among young people. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence in the perception of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco among young people in Poland and to assess the factors that are positively correlated with this perception. A cross-sectional study covering almost 12,000 adolescents aged 13–18 was carried out in January and February 2020. Data were collected through a detailed questionnaire recommended for monitoring tobacco use by adolescents. The results of the study showed that 52.2% and 61.9% of young people perceive e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products as less harmful compared to traditional cigarettes, respectively. The risk of perceiving these products as less harmful than smoking was higher among older adolescents, males, those who used these products, had a family member who used e-cigarettes/heated tobacco products and those who were exposed to tobacco advertising. Our study indicates the need to consider the coexistence of traditional smoking, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco and its impact on the assessment of the harmfulness of these products. More research is needed to better understand how perceptions of the harmfulness of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco affect their subsequent use.

Keywords: e-cigarettes; heated-tobacco products; harm perception; public health; tobacco; cigarette (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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