A cross-sectional study comparing the use of e-cigarettes and traditional tobacco cigarettes among young Makkah people

Abstract

Background and Aims: Tobacco smoking has a significant role in health deterioration worldwide. The study was conducted to estimate the prevalence and awareness of smoking among young Makkah people. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to estimate tobacco smoking’s prevalence, characteristics, perception, and awareness using the GATS standardized questionnaire tool. Results: The sample size was 410, the prevalence of smoking among males was 22.92% (n = 94), and for fe¬males was 14.39% (n = 59). The gender difference is significant (χ2 = 93.657, p < 0.001). Most of the young are new users and have used it for less than one year with a frequency of ≤ 1 smoke per day. Females are more motivated to quit smoking by using e-cigarettes 56.8% (n = 233) than males 18.2% (n = 75) while after successful cessation of smoking a large percentage of females continued using e-cigarettes 53.9% (n = 221) than males 18.2% (n = 75). This study revealed that there is a significant positive strong association between smoking and gender (χ2 = 90.834, p < 0.001), marital status (χ2 = 59.339, p < 0.001), different age groups (χ2 = 41.961, p < 0.001), and income (χ2 = 107.662, p < 0.001). Conclusions: We found a strong relationship between e-cigarette use and gender, income, and marital status. The data show that females who used e-cigarettes as a quit aid used them for longer than males. The findings suggested that e-cigarettes could be used to quit smoking or as a substitute for other tobacco products.