Prevalence of Electronic Cigarette Use and Related Factors Among Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study in Anatolia

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the frequency of electronic cigarette smoking and its related factors among medical students. A descr iptiv e-cro ss-se ction al online survey was administered to medical students (n n = 767) enrolled at the K & imath;r & scedil;eh & imath;r Ah & imath; Evran University Faculty of Medicine. Of those who participated in the study, 25.6% stated that they were using or had tried electronic cigarettes and 26.59% stated that they were active smokers. Among the students in our sample, age 21 and below (odds ratio: 5.051, 95% confidence interval: 1.584-16.101), being male (odds ratio: 6.972, 95% confidence interval: 2.870-30.335), a close friend (odds ratio: 3.989, %95 confidence interval: 1.505-10.570) or one of the parents using electronic cigarettes (odds ratio: 9.177, %95 confidence interval: 1.661-50.692) were found to increase the risk of electronic cigarette use. As the use and popularity of electronic cigarettes is increasing, the lack of knowledge among medical students on this subject reveals the need to improve the medical school curriculum.