Barriers to quitting E-cigarettes among young adults at different quitting stages

Objective. To examine associations between barriers to quitting e-cigarettes and quitting stage. Methods. Cross-sectional data were collected in July 2024 from United States young adults aged 18-25, who reported barriers to quitting, quitting stage (precontemplation, contemplation, preparation), and covariates (age, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, and financial situation) (N = 2471). Multinomial regression models predicted quitting stage from barriers to quitting and covariates. Results. Agreement with "I enjoy vaping socially with friends" predicted lower likelihood of contemplation (relative risk ratio, RRR = 0.75, 95 %CI: 0.61, 0.91) and preparation (RRR = 0.62, 95 %CI: 0.50, 0.77), relative to precontemplation. Agreement with "I enjoy vaping because it gives me a break from work" predicted lower likelihood of preparation, relative to precontemplation (RRR = 0.80; 95 %CI: 0.65, 0.98). Agreement with "I want to quit, but it's not a good time right now" predicted higher likelihood of contemplation (RRR = 1.41, 95 %CI: 1.16, 1.70), relative to precontemplation. Agreement with "I haven't successfully quit because people around me are vaping" predicted higher likelihood of contemplation (RRR = 1.59, 95 %CI: 1.31, 1.93) and preparation (RRR = 1.68, 95 %CI: 1.36, 2.06), relative to precontemplation. Conclusions. Those not thinking of quitting were focused on the perceived social benefits of e-cigarette use, while individuals in later stages of quitting were focused on challenges of going against social influences that might encourage quitting behaviors.