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Prevalence,
Risk Factors, and Awareness of Electronic-Cigarette
Use among Medical Students at King
Khalid University, Saudi Arabia
Osama Abdulaziz
Albaqqar1, Safar Abadi Alsaleem2,
Awad Saeed Alsamghan2, Mohammed
Albaggar3, Mohannad Albajjar3, Khalaf
Abdulaziz4, Mohammed Abdullah Alghamdi5,
Saad Mohammed Alghamdi6, Nasser
Khalil6, Abdulrahman Abdullah Alghamdi7
1. Family Medicine Specialist,
Ministry of Health, Albaha, Saudi
Arabia
2. Associate Professor, Family &
Community Medicine Department, College
of Medicine, King Khalid University,
Abha, Saudi Arabia
3. Family Medicine Consultant, Ministry
of Health, Albaha, Saudi Arabia
4. Pharmacist, Ministry of Health,
Albaha, Saudi Arabia
5. Health Administration Specialist,
Ministry of Health, Albaha, Saudi
Arabia
6. Public Health Specialist, Ministry
of Health, Albaha, Saudi Arabia
7. General Practitioner, Ministry
of Health, Albaha, Saudi Arabia
Corresponding Author:
Dr. Osama Abdulaziz Albaqqar
Email: osooo2011@hotmail.com
Received: November 2023. Accepted:
November 2023; Published: December
1, 2023.Citation: Osama Abdulaziz
Albaqqar et al. Prevalence, Risk
Factors, and Awareness of Electronic-Cigarette
Use among Medical Students at King
Khalid University, Saudi Arabia.
World Family Medicine. December
2023; 21(11): 120-130DOI: 10.5742/MEWFM.2023.95256238
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Abstract
Objectives:
To determine the prevalence,
pattern of smoking, and associated
factors as well as attitudes
toward E-cigarettes among
medical students.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was
conducted among 340 medical
students. An online questionnaire
was used in data collection.
It consists of socio-demographic
characteristics, smoking history,
awareness of E-cigarettes,
the prevalence of their use,
beliefs regarding E-cigarettes,
and reasons for E-cigarette
use
Results:
Males represented 58.8%, with
a mean age of 22.4±1.5
years. The prevalence of current
smoking and ex-smoking among
participants was 13.5% and
9.1%, respectively. Most participants
have heard of E-cigarettes
(94.4%); female students have
heard about E-cigarettes more
than males (99.3% vs. 91%,
respectively, p<0.001);
36.8% of participants have
tried using E-cigarettes at
least once during their lifetime,
15.9% have used them during
the last month and 11.8% intended
to use them in the next year.
Junior students were likelier
to try E-cigarettes during
their lifetime (44.5% vs.
32.1%, respectively, p=0.020).
The commonest reasons for
trying E-cigarettes were reducing
the number of traditional
cigarettes (93.6%), being
less dangerous than traditional
cigarettes (87.2%), and as
an attempt to quit smoking
(84.8%).
Conclusions:
E-cigarettes are tried
by a considerable proportion
of medical students, mainly
to reduce the number of traditional
cigarettes, assuming that
they are less dangerous than
traditional cigarettes, and
as an attempt to quit smoking.
Key
Words: Cigarette smoking,
E-smoking, medical students,
knowledge, attitude, risk
factors.
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