The use of, and attitudes towards, electronic cigarettes and self‐reported exposure to advertising and the product in general

Abstract

Abstract Objective: Very few studies have investigated New Zealanders’ use of, and attitudes towards, e‐cigarettes, their exposure to e‐cigarette advertising and their general exposure to this product. The current study aims to fill this information gap. Methods: Responses were gathered from a sample of adult smokers and recent quitters who took part in a fortnightly computer‐assisted telephone interviewing survey. This paper reports on data collected in 2013 on the use of, and attitudes towards, e‐cigarettes and exposure to advertising and the product in general. Responses were compared by socio‐demographic status and recent quit attempts. Results: Between 23% and 39% of respondents reported having used e‐cigarettes (with the highest level among those who had quit or tried to quit recently), and 8–16% had used e‐cigarettes in the past two weeks. About one half reported seeing advertising of e‐cigarettes in the past two weeks, 22–41% had seen people they knew using e‐cigarettes and 10–15% had seen a stranger using them in the past two weeks. Attitudinal responses are reported in the main text. Conclusions: The rate of ever‐use suggested that smokers and recent quitters are receptive to e‐cigarettes and that they were available to many of them to try. Exposure to e‐cigarette advertising or the product in general was not uncommon. Future studies should continue monitor the use of e‐cigarettes and investigate the impact of the exposure to people's attitudes towards the product and their subsequent use of e‐cigarettes.

Keywords

• electronic cigarettes
• smoking
• marketing
• prevalence