Previous literature has documented that e-cigarette use (vaping) rates among young adults have increased over the past eight years. A new study examined social and environmental influences on vaping among college students using the Ecological Model. This study was qualitative in nature. The authors conducted semi-structured interviews with participants, transcribed the interviews, coded this data, and identified patterns in participants’ remarks via thematic analysis. Participants (n = 33) were recruited using purposive sampling methods. Inclusion criteria were being an undergraduate student at one of three campuses in the southwestern U.S., being between 18 and 25 years old, and self-reporting e-cigarette use (including cigalikes, vapor pens, and “mods”) at least once per week. This sample was comprised mostly of male first- and second-year students and two-thirds of participants reported using another tobacco product besides e-cigarettes in the past 30 days. At the intrapersonal level, themes included vaping enhancing or diminishing self-image, while interpersonal themes included different reactions to students’ vaping from their families, friends, and other vapers and smokers. Participants reported they belonged to a “community” of tobacco users on campus. At the organization/policy level, participants reported they knew tobacco use was not permitted in certain areas on campus, but they were confused whether e-cigarettes were prohibited. Many reported they did not consider vaping to be a form of tobacco use. Based on these results, the authors provided recommendations for college campuses, such as informing students that vaping is using tobacco and posting signage in tobacco-free areas that explicitly prohibits vaping.
Take away: Themes that emerged from semi-structured interviews in this study indicated college students who use e-cigarettes reported multilevel influences on their e-cigarette use, including reactions from peers, family members, and the “community” of other e-cigarette users. Participants were unsure whether e-cigarette use constituted tobacco use.