Factors of e-cigarette use among Malaysian adolescents: A systematic review

Abstract

E-cigarette use remains a virulent issue in public health worldwide. Like various tobacco products, smoking e-cigarettes cause significant health risks to consumers, especially adolescents. To understand the enormity of this matter, it is best to be aware of the factors linked with using e-cigarettes to develop preventive strategies at an early adolescent stage. This current systematic review aims to explore and scrutinize the latest information on the factors linked to e-cigarette use among adolescents in Malaysia. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 statement were employed in this systematic review. The literature search used available online databases (Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar) to select original articles published between 2013 and 2022. A total of 5 articles were chosen to be incorporated in this systematic review. Various factors linked to e-cigarette use were discovered, such as risky lifestyle behavior, including alcohol and drug abuse, unmarried parents living together, insufficient knowledge and awareness of the health and well-being effects of e-cigarettes, and lack of exposure to e-cigarette education in school. Therefore, targeted prevention steps dealing with policies, laws, and regulations must be developed to address contributing factors leading to e-cigarette use to solve the evolving issue effectively. Thus, it is necessary to monitor and evaluate current programs and interventions on e-cigarette use among adolescents in Malaysia to prevent its expansion towards the community.