title: Perceived risk and benefits of e-cigarette use among college students.
abstract: Recent data demonstrates that the use of e-cigarettes is growing, especially among college students and young adults. This trend is increasingly problematic, as many of these individuals report never using traditional tobacco cigarettes, but nevertheless are using e-cigarettes. The present study sought to develop the Risks and Benefits of E-cigarettes (RABE) questionnaire to assess the perceptions about e-cigarette use among college students. College students (N=734) completed the RABE via online survey. Principal components analysis yielded two reliable scales representing perceptions about e-cigarette use. Based on the two-factor solution, subscales were named according to item content. The resulting 30 items demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Risks scale α=0.92; Benefits scale α=0.89). Subsequent confirmatory factor analysis generally supported the 2-factor structure. As an initial measure of construct validity, scale scores were compared across smoking status groups. Smoking status groups were defined by the following: "e-cigarette users" were current daily users of e-cigarettes, "conventional smokers" were daily traditional cigarette users, and "dual users" were individuals who used both e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes daily. Scale scores for perceived Benefits of e-cigarette use differed significantly across groups (p<0.001), whereby students who reported using e-cigarettes or traditional cigarettes reported benefits associated with e-cigarette use. Scale scores for perceived Risks of e-cigarette use across smoking status groups did not significantly differ. The present results indicate that the RABE is a reliable instrument to measure college student's perceived risks and benefits of e-cigarettes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, United States. Electronic address: copelan@lsu.edu.
authors.forename: Amy L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Copeland
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, United States.
authors.forename: MacKenzie R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Peltier
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, United States.
authors.forename: Krystal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Waldo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D066300:Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D012309:Risk-Taking; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: College students; E-cigarette; Perceptions