Perceptions of College Students About Vaping

As the use of e-cigarettes (vaping) has exponentially grown in the college population over the last few years, young people are experiencing related health complications. To better understand the rationale and appeal for using these products, I conducted a qualitative study of the perceptions and use of e-cigarettes by college students who were previous or current e-cigarette users. Ten participants responded to a standardized set of questions about their perceptions on vaping. Interviews were recorded and transcribed by the researcher and were coded independently by two members of the research team. The coded data was further analyzed to develop seven themes. Key themes included: “Social,” “health,” “self-image,” “negative health effects,” “knowledge,” and “dependence.” The data led to two major conclusions: 1) college students have a negative perception of their own usage of e-cigarettes, as well as their personal images related to vaping and the adverse health effects they experience from this habit 2) college students have varying levels of knowledge about e-cigarette products and desire to learn more about and the short- and long-term effects. Healthcare professionals can use these findings to improve understanding of how college students perceive the use of e-cigarettes and plan effective health promotion programs to minimize health risks in that population.