Knowledge and perception of risks and use of e-cigarettes among adults in Saudi Arabia: A cross sectional study

The prevalence of e-cigarette use is increasing worldwide. Evaluating the impact of e-cigarettes on public health and taking preventative and intervention strategies in to account would necessitate an understanding of how to describe and analyse e-cigarette use, awareness and misconceptions. This study aimed to determine the current level of understanding and perception of the hazards and use of e-cigarettes among Saudi Arabia's adult population. Between July and October of 2022, a cross sectional online survey was administered. Logistic regression was used to determine the characteristics that predicted knowledge about e-cigarettes. This study included 495 participants in all. Participants in the study demonstrated a reasonable degree of knowledge of electronic cigarettes with a mean score of 7.0 (1.4), representing 63.6% of the highest possible score. Males, students and individuals with a high-income level (more than 300,000 SAR) were significantly more likely to be knowledgeable about e-cigarettes (p=0.01). Approximately one-third of them (36.0%) confirmed prior usage of e-cigarettes or vaping. The two most often cited reasons for using e-cigarettes or vaping were convenience of use (73.6%) and contemporary size and shape (15.7%), respectively. E-cigarette use is widespread in Saudi Arabia and the public must be made more aware of their detrimental health effects. It is recommended that policy makers intensify health activities in order to improve public awareness of this significant health risk and counteract commercial companies' promotional efforts that encourage the use of e-cigarette devices. More research is required to develop techniques that could effectively reduce e-cigarette use.