Older Smokers' Beliefs About e-Cigarettes and Intent to Quit Conventional Cigarettes

To explore associations between older smokers' attitudes and beliefs about electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and tobacco use behavior, descriptive and correlational analysis of a cross-sectional survey of a random national sample of current smokers (age >= 45 years [considered "older" herein]) was performed. Of 498 older smokers, 75% wanted to quit smoking cigarettes and 60% had tried e-cigarettes. The 108 current e-cigarette users believed e-cigarettes help quit cigarettes (p < 0.001), are safer than cigarettes (p = 0.002), and are acceptable to friends (p = 0.010) and family (p = 0.007). Smokers not considering cessation believed friends and family think it is okay to smoke cigarettes (p < 0.001). Among older smokers: (a) most want to quit cigarettes; (b) e-cigarette use is increasing; (c) most believe e-cigarettes are healthier than cigarettes and effective for cessation; and (d) perceived social acceptability modifies tobacco use behavior by influencing initiation and maintenance of conventional cigarette and e-cigarette use.