E-Cigarette Use among Male Smokers in Al-Ahsa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Al Rajeh, Ahmed M.; Mahmud, Ilias; Al Imam, Mahmudul Hassan; Rahman, Muhammad Aziz; Al Shehri, Fariss; Alomayrin, Salman; Alfazae, Nawaf; Elmosaad, Yousif Mohammed; Alasqah, Ibrahim

doi:10.3390/ijerph20010143

Open AccessArticle

E-Cigarette Use among Male Smokers in Al-Ahsa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

by

Ahmed M. Al Rajeh

^1,†,

Ilias Mahmud

^2,†

,

Mahmudul Hassan Al Imam

^3,4,†,

Muhammad Aziz Rahman

^5,6

,

Fariss Al Shehri

⁷,

Salman Alomayrin

⁷,

Nawaf Alfazae

⁷,

Yousif Mohammed Elmosaad

^7,†

and

Ibrahim Alasqah

^2,*,†

¹

Department of Respiratory Care, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia

²

Department of Public Health, College of Public Health and Health Informatics, Qassim University, Al-Bukairiyah 52741, Saudi Arabia

³

School of Health, Medical, and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, QLD 4701, Australia

⁴

Central Queensland Public Health Unit, Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Rockhampton, QLD 4701, Australia

⁵

Institute of Health and Wellbeing, Federation University Australia, Berwick, VIC 3350, Australia

⁶

Australian Institute for Primary Care & Ageing (AIPCA), La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC 3086, Australia

⁷

Department of Public Health, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(1), 143; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010143

Submission received: 31 October 2022 / Revised: 15 December 2022 / Accepted: 17 December 2022 / Published: 22 December 2022

(This article belongs to the Section Health Behavior, Chronic Disease and Health Promotion)

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Abstract

E-cigarette use is increasing globally. Recent evidence suggests that e-cigarettes contain harmful substances that could cause adverse health outcomes. This study investigated the prevalence and associated factors of e-cigarette use among male current smokers in Saudi Arabia. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of adult male current smokers in the Al-Ahsa province of Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. We performed logistic regression analyses to investigate the factors associated with e-cigarette use among adult male current smokers. 325 current smokers participated in the study. A third of them (33.5%) were e-cigarette users. Almost all the study participants (97.0%) had heard about e-cigarettes. Participants who were occasional smokers (Odds Ratio (OR): 2.28; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.17–4.41) and had good knowledge perception of e-cigarettes (OR 3.49; 95% CI: 2.07–5.90) had higher odds of using e-cigarettes when compared to regular smokers of conventional cigarettes and current smokers with poor knowledge perception of e-cigarettes, respectively. In contrast, private employees (OR: 0.25, 95% CI: 0.07–0.85), and business owners (OR: 0.09, 95% CI: 0.01–0.63) had lower odds of using e-cigarettes compared to unemployed individuals. Compared with non-e-cigarette users, the rate of conventional cigarette smoking per day was significantly lower among e-cigarette users. Use of e-cigarette (OR: 3.57, 95% CI: 2.14–5.98), believing that e-cigarette quitting is hard (OR: 2.02, 95% CI: 1.17–3.49) and trying to quit e-cigarettes (OR: 2.17, 95% CI: 1.1–4.25) were found to be significant predictors of good knowledge perception of e-cigarettes among the current smokers. The use and knowledge perception of e-cigarettes were higher among occasional conventional male cigarette smokers than regular male smokers in Al-Ahsa province. The use of e-cigarettes as smoking cessation aids should be examined further in the Saudi Arabian setting.

Keywords: e-cigarette; cigarette; smoking; Saudi Arabia

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MDPI and ACS Style

Al Rajeh, A.M.; Mahmud, I.; Al Imam, M.H.; Rahman, M.A.; Al Shehri, F.; Alomayrin, S.; Alfazae, N.; Elmosaad, Y.M.; Alasqah, I. E-Cigarette Use among Male Smokers in Al-Ahsa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 143. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010143

AMA Style

Al Rajeh AM, Mahmud I, Al Imam MH, Rahman MA, Al Shehri F, Alomayrin S, Alfazae N, Elmosaad YM, Alasqah I. E-Cigarette Use among Male Smokers in Al-Ahsa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023; 20(1):143. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010143

Chicago/Turabian Style

Al Rajeh, Ahmed M., Ilias Mahmud, Mahmudul Hassan Al Imam, Muhammad Aziz Rahman, Fariss Al Shehri, Salman Alomayrin, Nawaf Alfazae, Yousif Mohammed Elmosaad, and Ibrahim Alasqah. 2023. "E-Cigarette Use among Male Smokers in Al-Ahsa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 20, no. 1: 143. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010143

APA Style

Al Rajeh, A. M., Mahmud, I., Al Imam, M. H., Rahman, M. A., Al Shehri, F., Alomayrin, S., Alfazae, N., Elmosaad, Y. M., & Alasqah, I. (2023). E-Cigarette Use among Male Smokers in Al-Ahsa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(1), 143. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010143

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E-Cigarette Use among Male Smokers in Al-Ahsa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

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