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Electronic Cigarettes and Awareness of Their Health Effects

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First Online:
Part of the Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology book series (AEMB, volume 1039)

Abstract

The use of electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes is strongly on the rise. The literature confirms that in the process of quitting smoking using an electronic device dispensing nicotine should be a transitional stage before the complete cessation of smoking. The aim of the present study was to assess the popularity of e-cigarettes, the underlying reasons for use of such nicotine products, and the level of awareness of health hazards associated with e-cigarettes. The study is of a survey type. The material consisted of data collected from an anonymous survey distributed among 46 female and 23 male users of e-cigarettes in 2015. We used a questionnaire of our own design. The findings demonstrate that the main reason for a recourse to e-cigarettes is a desire to use fashionable technological innovations, and the conviction that such cigarettes are less harmful than the traditional tobacco products. Some respondents used e-cigarettes to quit smoking; others to minimize the harmful effects of smoking. Most respondents acquired information about e-cigarettes from friends or from the Internet. There was a high awareness of the chemical composition of substances contained in e-cigarettes. An interest in e-cigarettes is caused by an increased knowledge on the negative effects of traditional smoking. Currently, the e-cigarettes remains a technological novelty, so that the exact health effects of their long-term use are open to conjecture.

Keywords

Addiction E-cigarettes Health effect Smoking cessation Survey Tobacco smoking 
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Notes

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest in relation to this article.

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Copyright information

© Springer International Publishing AG  2017

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Faculty of Physical Culture and Health PromotionUniversity of SzczecinSzczecinPoland
  2. 2.Department of AnatomyPomeranian Medical UniversitySzczecinPoland
  3. 3.School of European IntegrationSzczecinPoland

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