Electronic cigarette use, knowledge, and perceptions among health professional students

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Professions Education
• Tobacco Control

Background:

• Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use is prevalent among various populations.
• Understanding health professional students' perspectives is crucial for future patient counseling.
• Limited data exists on e-cigarette knowledge and perceptions within health professional student populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the use, knowledge, and perceptions of e-cigarettes among health professional students.
• To identify factors associated with e-cigarette knowledge and use within this demographic.

Main Methods:

• A survey of 853 health professional students across five colleges was conducted.
• An e-cigarette knowledge score was calculated based on true-false items.
• Regression analyses examined associations between college/discipline, knowledge, perceptions, and e-cigarette use.

Main Results:

• 24.2% of students reported ever using e-cigarettes, a rate higher than previously reported.
• Students in public health, pharmacy, and nursing colleges demonstrated higher e-cigarette knowledge.
• Perceptions regarding smoking cessation, harm reduction, and regulation were linked to e-cigarette use.

Conclusions:

• E-cigarette use is common among health professional students, with significant knowledge deficits.
• There is a critical need to improve health professionals' preparedness to counsel patients on e-cigarettes.
• Further education is required to address the evolving landscape of e-cigarette use and patient care.