title: How U.S. adults find out about electronic cigarettes: implications for public health messages.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are battery-powered nicotine delivery systems that have become increasingly popular in the United States. We sought to understand how U.S. adults hear about e-cigarettes.
  
  
  METHODS
  A national sample of 17,522 U.S. adults (≥ 18 years old) completed an online survey in March 2013 assessing their awareness of and sources of information about e-cigarettes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most respondents (86%) had heard of e-cigarettes. Current and former smokers were more likely to be aware of e-cigarettes than non-smokers. Males, younger adults, non-Hispanic Whites, and those with higher education were also more likely to have heard of e-cigarettes. The most commonly reported sources of information were another person, ads on television, and seeing e-cigarettes being sold, although the relative frequency of these sources differed for current, former, and never-smokers. Former and current smokers were more likely to have heard about e-cigarettes from e-cigarette users than were never-smokers. Adults age 30 years or younger were more likely than adults older than 30 years to have heard about e-cigarettes online.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nearly all U.S. adults had heard of e-cigarettes in 2013. By focusing on the most common channels of information, public health campaigns can more efficiently communicate information about e-cigarette safety and consider necessary regulations should companies use these channels for marketing that targets youth, non-tobacco users, and other at-risk groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC; Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC; jkadis@unc.edu.
authors.forename: Jessica K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Pepper
authors.affiliation: Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC;
authors.forename: Sherry L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Emery
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC; Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC;
authors.forename: Kurt M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Ribisl
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC; Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC;
authors.forename: Noel T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Brewer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000329:Advertising; D000368:Aged; D003625:Data Collection; D066300:Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D040541:Marketing / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011634:Public Health; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
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