Perceptions and Perspectives on Electronic Cigarette among Non- and Health Care Professionals - Implications for Public Health Policy
Sakditat Ittiphisit, MD1, Nutchaya Boonchuay, MD1, Pitcha Thuncharoon, MD1, Prechapol Kunanupatham, MD1, Pakorn Jessadavanis, MD1, Santi Silairatana, MD2
Affiliation : 1Faculty of Medicine Vajira Hospital, Navamindradhiraj University, Bangkok, Thailand, 2Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Vajira Hospital, Navamindradhiraj University, Bangkok, Thailand
Background: Electronic (e-)cigarettes have become an undermining factor for tobacco control in Thailand, particularly among youth. Healthcare professionals are expected to provide knowledge and promote healthy behavior, but information regarding e-cigarettes is somewhat conflicting, unavailable and subjective.
Objective: The present study aimed to gain insight regarding perceptions and perspectives on e-cigarettes and their use in society to determine whether there were any difference in perceptions and perspectives among healthcare and non-healthcare professionals.
Materials and Methods: This observational study was conducted among Thai adults aged >18 years stratified by occupation into non- and healthcare professionals using an internet-based questionnaire developed for the study. Data regarding demographic characteristics, perceptions about e-cigarettes and perspectives on e-cigarettes use were collected. The participants were classified into professional groups based on occupation and perceptions. The perspectives data was compared using Chi-square tests. The p-value of <0.05 was used to indicate statistical significance.
Results: A total of 500 participants (296 women, 59.2%) with age mean ± SD of 30.49±12.6 years were included. Healthcare professionals
comprised 26.2% of participants. Tobacco smoking and e-cigarette use were reported in 15.6% and 13.6% of respondents, respectively. The majority of participants perceived harm and risks posed by e-cigarettes to be similar to those generally perceived for tobacco smokers. The healthcare professionals perceived and viewed e-cigarettes relatively similar to non-healthcare professionals except for some aspects, such as health harm and the factors that influence e-cigarette use behavior.
Conclusion: Perception and perspectives on e-cigarette use were, in general, similar to already notable perceptions about tobacco. Much of the uncertainty in perspectives could be attributable too limited official information and lack of educational programs provided in Thailand. Healthcare professionals did not possess different perceptions or perspectives on e-cigarettes from other occupations. Therefore, development of formal educational programs for healthcare professionals and the population at risk of using e-cigarette is urgently needed.
Received 21 June 2024 | Revised 12 August 2024 | Accepted 24 September 2024
Keywords : E-cigarette; Perception; Perspective; Tobacco smoking; Healthcare professional; Health risk
