The attitude towards E-cigarettes, disengagement belief, E-cigarette health literacy and susceptibility among youths and adolescents

Abstract

Purpose: The marketing effort of e-cigarettes producers makes youths and adolescents less alert about the potential harm of e-cigarettes. The trend of e-cigarette use among vocational school students becomes increasingly severe in China. This study is to reveal the psychological process that plays a critical role in affecting students’ e-cigarette susceptibility. Method: This study uses the time-lagged data collected from 835 vocational school students in China and the structural equation modelling. Findings: This study finds that the more inclusive attitude towards e-cigarettes makes vocational school students more easily undertake the cognitive process of disengagement belief, which in turn can boost the level of their e-cigarette susceptibility. In addition, such mediation process is shown to be weaker for those displaying the high-level e-cigarette health literacy. Implications: In the future, it is essential to help youths and adolescents built a correct understanding of e-cigarettes from multisource (e.g., schools and governments).

Keywords

• attitude towards e-cigarette
• disengagement belief
• e-cigarette health literacy
• e-cigarette susceptibility
• vocational school students