Risk perception and prevalence of e-cigarette use among university students of Health Sciences

Abstract

Introduction: Since the emergence of e-cigarettes, young people have become increasingly attracted to their use and consumption, increasing their popularity. Objective: To determine the prevalence and risk perception of e-cigarette use among Health Sciences students.

Materials and Method: This was a non-experimental, observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study involving 515 students from the Faculties of Nursing, Pharmacy, and Dentistry. Data were collected via email using Google Forms, containing informed consent and a 10-question questionnaire covering the study variables. This questionnaire was validated by judges or experts, following the Tristán-López (2008) methodology. The data were captured in Excel for Windows® Office and exported to the SPSS® statistical package, version 23. Results: A prevalence of 14.2% and 22.1% was determined for those who have ever tried it, and the risk of consumption increased in males by 2,324% (1,432 - 3,771); the main motivation was "it caught their attention", with 30% and 24% indicating another unreported cause. The risk perception reflected that 61% indicated that this modality has a low risk and 26.6% that there is no risk. Conclusion: The findings reveal that the perception of risk associated with electronic cigarettes among Health Sciences students does not differ significantly from that observed in young people without health training. This similarity is cause for concern, since future health professionals would be expected to have a higher level of critical awareness of the risks of vaping.