E-Cigarette Awareness, Perceptions and Use among Community-Recruited Smokers in Hong Kong.
BACKGROUND
Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are being increasingly used. We examined the correlates associated with e-cigarette awareness, use and perceived effectiveness in smoking cessation among Chinese daily smokers in Hong Kong.


METHODS
Daily smokers (N = 1,307) were recruited to a community-based randomised controlled trial ('Quit to Win') in 2014. Socio-demographic characteristics, conventional cigarette smoking status, nicotine addiction level, quit attempts, quit intention, e-cigarette awareness, use and perceived effectiveness on quitting were reported at baseline and 1-week follow-up. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with e-cigarette awareness, use and perceived effectiveness in quitting.


RESULTS
Most smokers (82.6%, 95% CI 80.2%-84.9%) had heard about e-cigarettes, and 13.3% (11.3%-15.5%) ever used e-cigarettes. Most users (74.1%) and non-users (91.2%) did not perceive e-cigarettes as effective in quitting. Being younger and having a larger family income were associated with e-cigarette awareness. Being younger, a tertiary education and a stronger addiction to nicotine were associated with e-cigarette use, which was itself associated with lower levels of intention to quit and had no association with attempts to quit (P for trend 0.45). E-cigarette use, the last quit attempt being a month earlier, having made a quit attempt lasting 24 hours or longer and perceiving quitting as important were all associated with the perceived effectiveness of e-cigarettes in quitting (all P <0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Among community-recruited smokers who intended to quit, awareness of e-cigarettes was high, but most did not perceive e-cigarettes as effective in quitting. Correlates concerning e-cigarette perceptions and use will help to inform prospective studies, public education and policy on controlling e-cigarettes.
School of Nursing, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Man Ping
MP
Wang
School of Nursing, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
William Ho Cheung
WH
Li
School of Public Health, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Nan
N
Jiang
School of Nursing, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Lai Yan
LY
Chu
Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Antonio
A
Kwong
Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Vienna
V
Lai
School of Public Health, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Tai Hing
TH
Lam
D000328:Adult; D001364:Awareness; D066300:Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012907:Smoking / Q000628:therapy; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data