Rob Dillard

DocwireNews

The proportion of US adults who perceived e-cigarettes to be as harmful, or more harmful than cigarettes increased dramatically from 2012 to 2017, according to new <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2729471">findings</a> published in JAMA.Study researchers used data from two multiyear cross-sectional nationally surveys (the Tobacco Products and Risk Perceptions Surveys [TPRPS], as well as the Health Information National Trends Surveys [HINTS]) &ndash; to evaluate the perceived detriments of e-cigarettes relative to cigarettes among US adults in 2012 through 2017.The analytical samples of TPRPS included 2,800 adults in 2012 (cumulative response rate, 7.3%), 5,668 in 2014 (cumulative response rate, 6.6%), 5,372 in 2015 (cumulative response rate, 6.8%), 5,245 in 2016 (cumulative response rate, 6.4%), and 5,357 in 2017 (cumulative response rate, 5.8%). The analytical samples of HINTS consisted of 2,609 adults in 2012 (response rate, 39.9%), 3,301 in 2014 (response rate, 34.4%), 2,224 in 2015 (response rate, 33.0%), and 2,683 in 2017 (response rate, 32.4%).&nbsp; The study&rsquo;s respondents consisted of adults 18 years older and were chosen via address-based sampling or random-digit dialing. Researchers conducted analyses from February 2018 through April 2018.<h2>e-Cigarettes Perceived as Detrimental </h2>Findings of the study suggest a proportion of adults who perceived e-cigarettes as less harmful than cigarettes decreased from 39.4% (95% CI, 36.9% to 41.9%) in 2012 to 33.9% (95% CI, 32.7% to 35.2%) in 2017 in TPRPS, and reduced from 50.7% (95% CI, 48.8% to 52.7%) in 2012 to 34.5% (95% CI, 32.7% to 36.3%) in 2017 in HINTS. Moreover, in the same time duration, the proportion of adults who perceived e-cigarettes to be as detrimental as cigarettes increased from 11.5% (95% CI, 10.0% to 13.2%) in 2012 to 36.4% (95% CI, 35.1% to 37.7%) in 2017 for TPRPS, and from 46.4% (95% CI, 44.5% to 48.3%) in 2012 to 55.6% (95% CI, 53.7% to 57.5%) in 2017 for HINTS. Furthermore, those who perceived e-cigarettes to be more harmful than cigarettes increased from 1.3% (95% CI, 0.8% to 2.2%) in 2012 to 4.3% (95% CI, 3.8% to 4.9%) in 2017 for TPRPS, and from 2.8% (95% CI, 2.2% to 3.5%) in 2012 to 9.9% (95% CI, 8.8% to 11.1%) in 2017 for HINTS.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Changing Perceptions of Harm of e-Cigarette Use Among Adults in 2 US National Surveys, 2012-2017 <a href="https://t.co/gsNJ3IrJoz">https://t.co/gsNJ3IrJoz</a>
&mdash; Michael Eriksen (@MPEriksen) <a href="https://twitter.com/MPEriksen/status/1111672496690991104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2019</a>
</blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>&ldquo;Given the demonstration by previous studies that perception of risk plays a critical role in decisions to use tobacco, our results imply that at least some <a href="https://proddocwire.wpengine.com/tag/smoking/">smokers</a> may have been deterred from using or switching to e-cigarettes due to the growing perception that e-cigarettes are equally harmful or more harmful than cigarettes,&rdquo; the authors wrote regarding the results.The researchers noted that they felt that the confusion between relative risk and absolute risk of e-cigarettes may contribute to framing bias in risk communication, resulting in partial media coverage in which absolute harm is overstated, and relative harm is downplayed.&ldquo;Our results underscore the urgent need for accurate communication of the scientific evidence on the health risks of e-cigarettes and the importance of clearly differentiating the absolute harm from the relative harm of e-cigarettes.&rdquo;<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Study: "Changing Perceptions of Harm of e-Cigarette Use Among Adults" <a href="https://t.co/Jnhpe7LA8X">https://t.co/Jnhpe7LA8X</a>
"Findings underscore the urgency to convey accurate risk information about e-cigarettes to the public, especially to adult smokers who &hellip; could benefit most by switching&hellip;"
&mdash; Timothy Caulfield (@CaulfieldTim) <a href="https://twitter.com/CaulfieldTim/status/1111737097352679425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2019</a>
</blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>https://twitter.com/CarrascalAlvaro/status/1111754680353345537

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The proportion of US adults who perceived e-cigarettes to be as harmful, or more harmful than cigarettes increased dramatically from 2012 to 2017, according to new findings ...

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