title: Electronic cigarette use by college students.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, are battery operated devices that deliver nicotine via inhaled vapor. There is considerable controversy about the disease risk and toxicity of e-cigarettes and empirical evidence on short- and long-term health effects is minimal. Limited data on e-cigarette use and correlates exist, and to our knowledge, no prevalence rates among U.S. college students have been reported. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of e-cigarette use and identify correlates of use among a large, multi-institution, random sample of college students.
  
  
  METHODS
  4444 students from 8 colleges in North Carolina completed a Web-based survey in fall 2009.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ever use of e-cigarettes was reported by 4.9% of students, with 1.5% reporting past month use. Correlates of ever use included male gender, Hispanic or "Other race" (compared to non-Hispanic Whites), Greek affiliation, conventional cigarette smoking and e-cigarette harm perceptions. Although e-cigarette use was more common among conventional cigarette smokers, 12% of ever e-cigarette users had never smoked a conventional cigarette. Among current cigarette smokers, e-cigarette use was negatively associated with lack of knowledge about e-cigarette harm, but was not associated with intentions to quit.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although e-cigarette use was more common among conventional cigarette smokers, it was not exclusive to them. E-cigarette use was not associated with intentions to quit smoking among a sub-sample of conventional cigarette smokers. Unlike older, more established cigarette smokers, e-cigarette use by college students does not appear to be motivated by the desire to quit cigarette smoking.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, United States. ESutfin@wakehealth.edu
authors.forename: Erin L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Sutfin
authors.forename: Thomas P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: McCoy
authors.forename: Holly E R
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Morrell
authors.forename: Bettina B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Hoeppner
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wolfson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D004581:Electronics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000639:trends*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000639:trends*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods*; D013334:Students; D062789:Tobacco Products / Q000009:adverse effects; D014495:Universities / Q000639:trends*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cigarettes; College students; Electronic cigarettes; Nicotine; Smoking; Tobacco; Young adults