Awareness of the Health Effects of Electronic Cigarettes among Students of King Saud University in Al Ahsa, 2019

Tobacco use is a common problem in Saudi Arabia, but there have been few studies on the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) in the country. This study aimed to measure awareness of the health effects of e-cigarettes among students of health-sciences specialties in Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study was conducted among male students in King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, in Al Ahsa. A convenience sample was selected, regardless of students� specialty or academic year. A self-administered, validated questionnaire was used, obtaining age, education level, smoking history, and family history of smoking. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 21. Overall, 190 questionnaires were distributed while 167 questionnaires were completed (88 % response rate). The prevalence of smoking among the respondents was 19.8 %, while 3 % were ex-smokers. Meanwhile, 2.4 % reported using e-cigarettes. Regarding awareness, 41.3 % believed that e-cigarettes are less harmful than traditional cigarettes, 4.2 % felt that e-cigarettes have no harmful effects, 20.4 % thought that e-cigarettes are a healthy alternative to traditional cigarettes or shisha, and 37.1 % believed that there was no scientific evidence that e-cigarettes are harmful. The data indicate that health-science students in Saudi Arabia have acceptable awareness of the harmful effects of e-cigarettes. Lower awareness was associated with e-cigarette use.