E-Cigarettes are More Addictive than Traditional Cigarettes—A Study in Highly Educated Young People

Jankowski, Mateusz; Krzystanek, Marek; Zejda, Jan Eugeniusz; Majek, Paulina; Lubanski, Jakub; Lawson, Joshua Allan; Brozek, Grzegorz

doi:10.3390/ijerph16132279

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E-Cigarettes are More Addictive than Traditional Cigarettes—A Study in Highly Educated Young People

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Department of Epidemiology, School of Medicine in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Medykow 18 Str, 40-752 Katowice, Poland

Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, School of Medicine in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Ziolowa 45/47 Str, 40-635 Katowice, Poland

Canadian Centre for Health and Safety in Agriculture, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 104 Clinic Place, P.O. Box 23, Saskatoon, SK S7N 2Z4, Canada

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Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 103 Hospital Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 0W8, Canada

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(13), 2279; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16132279

Received: 13 April 2019 / Revised: 19 June 2019 / Accepted: 24 June 2019 / Published: 27 June 2019

(This article belongs to the Special Issue E-Cigarettes: A Global Public Health Perspective)

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Abstract

E-cigarettes are often considered less addictive than traditional cigarettes. This study aimed to assess patterns of e-cigarette use and to compare nicotine dependence among cigarette and e-cigarette users in a group of highly educated young adults. From 3002 healthy adults, a representative group of 30 cigarette smokers, 30 exclusive e-cigarette users, and 30 dual users were recruited. A 25-item questionnaire was used to collect information related to the patterns and attitudes towards the use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes. The Fagerström test for nicotine dependence (FTND) and its adapted version for e-cigarettes were used to analyze nicotine dependence in each of the groups. The nicotine dependence levels measured with FTND were over two times higher among e-cigarette users (mean 3.5) compared to traditional tobacco smokers (mean 1.6; p < 0.001). Similarly, among dual users, nicotine dependence levels were higher when using an e-cigarette (mean 4.7) compared to using traditional cigarettes (mean 3.2; p = 0.03). Habits and behaviors associated with the use of e-cigarettes did not differ significantly (p > 0.05) between exclusive e-cigarette users and dual users. The findings suggest that e-cigarettes may have a higher addictive potential than smoked cigarettes among young adults. View Full-Text

Keywords: electronic cigarettes; tobacco; nicotine; addiction; dependence

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Jankowski, M.; Krzystanek, M.; Zejda, J.E.; Majek, P.; Lubanski, J.; Lawson, J.A.; Brozek, G. E-Cigarettes are More Addictive than Traditional Cigarettes—A Study in Highly Educated Young People. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 2279. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16132279

AMA Style

Jankowski M, Krzystanek M, Zejda JE, Majek P, Lubanski J, Lawson JA, Brozek G. E-Cigarettes are More Addictive than Traditional Cigarettes—A Study in Highly Educated Young People. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2019; 16(13):2279. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16132279

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jankowski, Mateusz, Marek Krzystanek, Jan E. Zejda, Paulina Majek, Jakub Lubanski, Joshua A. Lawson, and Grzegorz Brozek. 2019. "E-Cigarettes are More Addictive than Traditional Cigarettes—A Study in Highly Educated Young People" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16, no. 13: 2279. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16132279

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