E-cigarettes are relatively new product compared to the standard tobacco products. As such, researchers still don’t know definitively how long-term use of these devices can affect a person’s health. Nonetheless, a new study reveals that the public mistrust of e-cigarettes has risen as of late.
Most studies involving the health effects of these battery-powered devices have somewhat mixed results as they mostly depend on the type of nicotine liquid consumers use. Although most think that e- e-cigarettes are at least safer and less dangerous than normal tobacco products, it seems that people are becoming more aware and cautious regarding its danger, as the new study reveals.
Eric Ford, a professor at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s department of health policy and management and the leader of the study, promotes the spread of information regarding the risks of e-cigarettes despite the absence of public or government health push against them.
He also emphasizes the surprising findings of his study which contradicts normal situations, where it is hard to reverse the beliefs about a specific product when misinformation about its health effects has already become widespread. This was not the case with e-cigarettes as they were and still are promoted as a healthier option, people seem to have grown somewhat more skeptic about them.
For their study, the researchers analyzed several representative surveys conducted nationally between 2012 and 2014. The surveys were all sponsored by the US National Cancer Institute and included over 3,000 non-smokers, former and current smokers each year. The study shows that the public’s awareness regarding e-cigarettes increased 17 percent between 2012 and 2014, from 77 percent to 94 percent. However, this increased awareness did not impact the number of people who renounced the habit.
Another interesting result of the study is that in 2014, around 43 percent of the people surveyed believed that e-cigarettes were not as dangerous as normal tobacco cigarettes, compared to 50 percent of people surveyed in 2012.
Researchers warn that the use of electronic cigarettes, which were used by 4 percent of US adults might lead to an increased use of tobacco. Teenagers can be quite vulnerable to the marketing campaigns for such devices.
What do you think about vaping and the use of such devices compared to normal cigarettes?
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