Predictors of E-Cigarette Use Susceptibility—A Study of Young People from a Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Rural Area in Poland

• Main Authors: Dorota Kaleta, Mirosław Niedzin, Agnieszka Jankowska, Kinga Polańska
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-10-01
• Series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Subjects: e-cigarettes; susceptibility; predictors; youth; socially disadvantaged rural area
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/20/3935

Identification of the youth at risk of e-cigarette use is crucial for development of effective prevention strategies. The current study aims at evaluation of predictors of susceptibility to e-cigarette initiation and experimentation among adolescents. This cross-sectional study included 1693 students (non-current users of e-cigarettes) attending 21 schools in Piotrkowski district (a socially disadvantaged rural area in central Poland). The regression models were applied so as to study factors linked to susceptibility to e-cigarette use among never users (<i>n</i> = 1054) and ever users (<i>n</i> = 639) of e-cigarettes, with susceptibility defined as the absence of a firm decision not to use these products. A high proportion of the youth was susceptible to e-cigarette use (68% of never and 78% of ever e-cigarette users). The adjusted model confirmed the following risk factors: smoking parents and friends (never users: OR = 3.0; <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001; OR = 2.0; <i>p</i> &lt; 0.05; ever users: OR = 2.2; OR = 2.2; <i>p</i> &lt; 0.01), alcohol consumption (never users: moderate drinking OR = 2.9; <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001; binge drinking OR = 2.2; <i>p</i> &lt; 0.01; ever users: moderate drinking OR = 4.2; <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001), cigarette smoking (never users: OR = 14.1; ever users: OR = 11.3; <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001), and perception that e-cigarettes are less harmful than traditional cigarettes (never users: OR = 1.8; <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001). The youth whose mothers had a medium and high educational level (never users: OR = 2.7; <i>p</i> &lt; 0.01; OR = 2.7; <i>p</i> &lt; 0.05; ever users: OR = 5.4; OR = 4.4; <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001), those who perceived girls who use e-cigarettes as more attractive (never users: OR = 4.1; <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001; ever users: OR = 2.9; <i>p</i> &lt; 0.01), and secondary school students (ever users: OR = 5.6; <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001) had higher odds of susceptibility to e-cigarette use. The youth who had more money per month were less susceptible to e-cigarette experimentation (OR = 0.4; <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001). A multi-level intervention approach, considering vulnerable populations, is required to prevent the youth from e-cigarette initiation and experimentation.