The prevalence of e-cigarette use on college campuses has been rising over the past years, with rates of vaping nicotine and cannabis doubling between 2017 and 2018. Younger adults tend to perceive vaping as less harmful than use of other tobacco products. However, more than half of e-cigarette users state that they also use conventional tobacco products. A previous study determined that electronic cigarette use has a negative impact on smoking cessation attempts. Additionally, cannabis and alcohol use has also been correlated with e-cigarette consumption. This study examines the impact of behavioral and demographic factors, including multi substance use, on actual personal use and perceived peer use of e-cigarettes in college students in the United States of America.

This study was a secondary data analysis that examined data from the National College Health Assessment (NCHA) that was collected in fall of 2015. The study’s sample consisted of 19,861 college students, comprised of undergraduate and graduate students from 40 public and private institutions who completed a voluntary Web-based survey. The survey asked students to determine their past month personal frequency of use and perceived use by their peers of a variety of substances including alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and e-cigarettes. Data was analyzed using multivariable logistic regression models to measure both perceived and actual electronic cigarette use.

Results of the data analysis found approximately 4.9% of respondents were classified as current e-cigarette users while 73.7%  respondents thought that the ‘typical student’ on their campus used e-cigarettes. Male students were found to have higher rates of vaping compared to female students. Older students were less likely to use e-cigarettes compared to younger students, and African Americans and Hispanic/Latino students were less likely to use compared to Whites. Current cigarette users, current alcohol users, and current cannabis users were all more likely to use e-cigarettes compared to ever users. Additionally, as perceptions of typical student substance use increased, respondents were more likely to assert that the typical student used e-cigarettes.

Takeaway: Perceived electronic cigarette use among college students may vastly overestimate the proportion of college students who actually use electronic cigarettes.

Nabil AK, Barry AE, Kum HC, Ohsfeldt RL. Actual and perceived E-cigarettes behaviors among a national sample of U.S. college students. Journal of American College Health. Published online January 13, 2022:1-9. doi:10.1080/07448481.2021.2024209