Journal
TOBACCO INDUCED DISEASES
Volume 19, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
EUROPEAN PUBLISHING
DOI: 10.18332/tid/133640
Keywords
electronic cigarettes; smoking; university; students; Thailand
Funding
- Tobacco Control Research and Knowledge Management Center (TRC)
- Thai Health Promotion Foundation
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The study found that 18.1% of participants had used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days. Personal factors associated with e-cigarette use among Thai university students included studying in non-health related faculties, having friends who use e-cigarettes, having a lower GPA, and having a higher monthly income. Perceptual factors included beliefs that e-cigarettes are less harmful than conventional cigarettes and that using e-cigarettes in public is not illegal.
INTRODUCTION Although Thailand has banned the import of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) into the kingdom, a range of evidence has revealed the widespread use of these illegal products, especially among university students. Too little is known about personal and perceptual factors for such behavior. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with the use of e-cigarettes among university students in Northern Thailand METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted with 792 university students in Northern Thailand between June and July 2020. An anonymous, self-administered questionnaire was implemented to collect relevant information. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied to identify factors associated with the use of e-cigarettes in the last 30 days. RESULTS The study revealed that 18.1% of the participants used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days. The personal factors associated with e-cigarette use among Thai university students included: studying in non-health related faculties (AOR=11.21; 95% CI: 4.88-25.71); having a friend using e-cigarettes (AOR=10.48; 95% CI: 5.96-18.41); having a lower GPA than the mean (AOR=1.93; 95% CI: 1.14-3.28); and having a monthly income higher than the mean (AOR=1.74; 95% CI: 1.09-2.78). Regarding perceptual factors, there was a significant link between e-cigarette use and the perception that these modern cigarettes are less harmful than conventional cigarettes (AOR=2.47; 95% CI: 1.50-4.07), and perception that using e-cigarettes in public is not illegal (AOR=1.93; 95% CI: 1.19-3.15). CONCLUSIONS E-cigarette use is widespread among Thai university students. Maintaining the enforcement policy on banning the importation of e-cigarettes into the country is thus needed. Also, further communication and public relations on the risks and legal prohibitions of e-cigarette use are needed among university students in the Northern Thailand.
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