| Summary: | Background
This paper compares beliefs about the relative harms of
exposure to secondhand electronic cigarette (EC) vapor compared to cigarette
smoke, rules about smoking and vaping in the home, and adherence to rules
restricting vaping in public places in Australia (AU) and Canada (CA) which
have generally more restrictive policies on the marketing of ECs compared to England
(EN) and the United States (US) which have less restrictive policies.
Methods
Data
came from 12,411 adult (aged 18 years and older) current and former smokers and
vapers who participated in the 2016 International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four
Country Survey carried out in AU (n=1491), CA (n=3801), EN (n=4339) and US (n=2780). The web-based survey recruited participants
from online panels in each country with selection criteria intended to generate
representative samples of current and former smokers and vapers in each
country.
Results
The
majority of respondents in each country believed that exposure to secondhand EC
vapor was less dangerous compared to exposure to smoke. Across all countries vapers were more likely
than non-vapers to believe that exposure to secondhand EC vapor was less
dangerous compared to exposure to smoke.
The overwhelming majority of
respondents in all countries did not allow smoking in their home, while most
allowed vaping. Rules about whether
smoking was permitted inside the home were more permissive among smokers
whereas rules about vaping were more permissive among vapers. Nearly all vapers reported that they do not
vape in public places when it is prohibited.
Conclusions
Being
a vaper or smoker was more strongly associated than restrictiveness of EC regulations
with beliefs about the dangers of secondhand EC vapor exposure, rules people
have about allowing smoking and vaping in their homes, and adherence to rules
restricting vaping in public places.
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