Knowledge and awareness of E-Cigarettes among 18-24 years young adult’s in Chennai – A pilot E-Survey

BACKGROUND: The electronic cigarette, or e-cigarette, has transformed the tobacco industry in recent decades and is widely seen as a safe substitute for traditional cigarettes. Globally, young people’s use of electronic cigarettes that provide nicotine has increased significantly. Adolescents who use electronic cigarettes are vulnerable to social and environmental factors in addition to physical dependence. The study aims to investigate young adults’ awareness, perceptions, and use of e-cigarettes to inform the development of interventions and educational campaigns targeting potential health risks associated with these devices. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among individuals aged 18 to 24 in Chennai. An e-invitation to participate in the study was distributed via social media (Facebook, WhatsApp). The study included those in Chennai between the ages of 18 and 24, as well as volunteers to complete the questionnaire. The simple random sampling method was used. A web-based questionnaire study was conducted in online; 333 respondents were included. The questionnaire comprised three sections, the first of which contains sociodemographic information, the second section on awareness of e-cigarettes, and the third section on knowledge of e-cigarettes. The questionnaire was pilot-tested on five subjects, and suggestions from study experts were incorporated. Data were analysed using Minitab Version 21 (Minitab, LLC, State college, PA) statistical software. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the data. Since the data were categorical, Chi-square test was used to find the association between variables in the study. RESULTS: About 63.3% of respondents had tobacco prevention programs conducted at their colleges, 90.1% of respondents had not used e-cigarettes, 20.5% were aware of the programs and resources available to quit smoking and vaping, and 45.8% of respondents had knowledge of cancer associated with the use of an e-cigarette. CONCLUSIONS: The findings reveal a significant disparity in awareness between the two regions, with Chennai demonstrating higher levels of understanding than Chengalpattu where the majority of respondents in both areas were not users of e-cigarettes.

• Publication year

  2025

• Venue

  Journal of Education and Health Promotion

• Publication date

  2025-11-01

• Fields of study

  Medicine, Sociology

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.4103/jehp.jehp_2004_23PMID 41574016PMCID 12822859
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Awareness of electronic cigarettes in India: Findings from the 2016–2017 Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS)

  2023cited by this paper
• Nicotine Addiction and Intensity of e-Cigarette Use by Adolescents in the US, 2014 to 2021

  2022cited by this paper
• Adolescents and E-cigarettes in India: A Qualitative Study of Perceptions and Practices

  2022cited by this paper
• School-based programs to prevent adolescent e-cigarette use: A report card.

  2022cited by this paper
• Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practices regarding E-cigarettes among the smokers in Metropolitan city of Western India

  2022cited by this paper
• An updated overview of e-cigarette impact on human health

  2021cited by this paper
• E-Cigarette Toxicology.

  2021cited by this paper
• Review of Health Consequences of Electronic Cigarettes and the Outbreak of Electronic Cigarette, or Vaping, Product Use-Associated Lung Injury

  2020cited by this paper
• Tobacco Use Among the Youth in India: Evidence From Global Adult Tobacco Survey-2 (2016-2017)

  2020cited by this paper
• Association of e-cigarette use with oral health: a population-based cross-sectional questionnaire study.

  2019cited by this paper
• E-Cigarettes are More Addictive than Traditional Cigarettes—A Study in Highly Educated Young People

  2019cited by this paper
• Public Health England insists e-cigarettes are 95% safer than smoking

  2018cited by this paper
• E-cigarettes: Impact of E-liquid Components and Device Characteristics on Nicotine Exposure

  2017influential reference
• Electronic-cigarette use by individuals in treatment for substance abuse: A survey of 24 treatment centers in the United States.

  2016cited by this paper
• A longitudinal analysis of electronic cigarette use and smoking cessation.

  2014cited by this paper
• Electronic cigarettes: human health effects

  2014influential reference
• Electronic Cigarettes: A Short Review

  2013cited by this paper

• No citing papers are available for this paper.