1. Introduction
Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are battery-powered electronic devices that aerosolize liquids into inhalable vapors. The vaporized liquids may contain nicotine, solvents, and a wide range of flavoring agents [
1]. E-cigarettes were invented initially as smoking cessation aids, such as more conventional types of nicotine replacement therapies, such as nicotine patches or gums. E-cigarettes that include nicotine may help to reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms by replacing the nicotine found in tobacco smoke. Moreover, e-cigarettes may help smokers quit by resolving the sensory and behavioral aspects of tobacco addiction [
2]. However, the use of e-cigarettes could be associated with some harmful health consequences including the addictive effect of nicotine consumption, the toxicants and heavy metals delivered through the vapor to the user, and the risk of battery explosion [
3].
Although the e-cigarettes effectiveness and safety of e-cigarettes for quitting smoking are still controversial, in recent years, their use has increased dramatically, especially among teenagers and young people [
4,
5]. In 2018, 8.1 million adults in the United States smoked e-cigarettes, with the age group 18 to 24 having the highest prevalence according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) [
6]. Moreover, there was a marked increase in the daily usage of e-cigarettes from 2018 to 2020 among young US adults aged 21 and 24, with a prevalence of 4.4% to 6.6%, respectively [
7].
At a Saudi university, 27.7% of health science students use e-cigarettes, which is roughly double the rate of students who smoke conventional cigarettes [
8]. A national survey conducted in New Zealand in 2018 showed that 40.5% of university students had ever used e-cigarettes [
9]. In China, surveys that have been conducted between 2009 and 2014 showed an increase in the rate of smokers who had ever used e-cigarettes from 2% to 11%, respectively. Additionally, compared to other age groups, people aged between 15 and 24 were more likely to have tried e-cigarettes (4.1%) [
10].
In Jordan, the situation is not ideal regarding university students’ knowledge about and attitudes toward using e-cigarettes. According to a previous study, 60% of university students in Jordan believed that all e-cigarettes contained natural ingredients, 40% of the students agreed that using e-cigarettes is less addictive than using conventional cigarettes, and 30% of them believed that using e-cigarettes is less risky than using conventional cigarettes [
11].
Given the sharp increase in e-cigarette use among university students, it is urgent to understand the parameters related to their usage. Several studies have shown that users have a variety of justifications for using e-cigarettes, including low cost, availability, ease of use, and attractive flavorings and smells, as well as curiosity, quitting smoking, health benefits, and use by a friend or a family member. Additionally, it was indicated that incorrect knowledge may encourage more university students to use e-cigarettes [
12,
13].
Al-Balas and colleagues reported different sources of knowledge about e-cigarettes among different age groups within the Jordanian population. Friends were most frequently mentioned (72.2%), followed by the Internet (23%), vape shops (1.9%), TV (1.8%), and neighborhood (1%) [
14].
According to the Jordanian Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) legislation of 2019 that regulates e-cigarette use, the advertisement and promotion of e-cigarette devices and e-liquids in any public place are prohibited, and JFDA approval is required for any display inside the sales location. Moreover, advertising for e-cigarettes is not allowed anywhere, even online or on social media [
15]. That makes the internet and vending machine sales of e-cigarettes forbidden. Additionally, Jordanian Public Health Law No. 47 of 2008 does not allow the use of e-cigarettes in smoke-free areas. Furthermore, e-cigarettes must not be sold to people less than 19 years of age.
In light of the fact that there is inadequate research regarding Jordanian university students’ attitudes toward and knowledge about the hazardous effects of e-cigarettes, more research is required to thoroughly assess their knowledge about and attitudes toward the use of e-cigarettes, especially for health professions students. Healthcare providers play a vital role in improving the access and quality of healthcare for the population. They offer fundamental health services that support wellness, prevent disease, and provide primary healthcare to individuals, families, and communities [
16]. Health professions students are the future healthcare providers; therefore, it is important to assess their perception and knowledge about e-cigarettes, which include all varieties of nicotine-containing e-cigarettes sold in Jordan (disposable e-cigarettes and refillable tanks that can be loaded with juice/nicotine salt). Accordingly, the current study aimed (1) to determine the prevalence of e-cigarette smoking among the health professions students at the University of Jordan and (2) to assess possible correlates of e-cigarette usage, such as sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge about, and attitudes toward e-cigarettes.
4. Discussion
The community sees healthcare professionals as the source of the most trusted knowledge regarding health. Hence, healthcare professionals play a vital role affecting the smoking rate in the community by providing the right advice to e-cigarette users [
19]. For instance, a study has shown that some young people would reduce or quit smoking if they were informed by their dentist regarding the harmful effects of smoking on their oral health [
20]. Consequently, health professions students need to be well educated about e-cigarettes as they may encounter e-cigarette users when they start their careers as healthcare professionals, so they can make the best patient counseling and clinical judgments.
The results of the current study have shown a high level of knowledge regarding e-cigarettes among health professions students. More than 70% of the participants were aware that e-cigarettes contain nicotine, are considered tobacco products, and can cause cancer. The level of knowledge that students have in this study is higher than that reported at Hangzhou University in China, where only around 58% of students were sure that e-cigarettes contain nicotine and more than 68% of students didn’t identify e-cigarettes as tobacco products [
13].
However, about 48.5% of the participants were not aware that e-cigarettes are addictive. In fact, the addictiveness to nicotine in e-cigarettes is considered one of the major health concerns regarding the use of e-cigarettes, which could lead to lifelong e-cigarettes usage, especially in the youth population. Studies have shown that the serum nicotine level with e-cigarette use can be close to the serum nicotine level with conventional cigarette use [
21].
Almost 90% of participants were not sure whether e-cigarettes are FDA-approved as smoking cessation aids or not. In fact, to date of this publication, e-cigarettes products have not been approved by the FDA as smoking cessation aids [
22]. Those findings are comparable to the results reported at a Saudi university where the majority of medical students didn’t know that e-cigarettes were not approved by the FDA as a smoking cessation aid [
18]. Moreover, a meta-analysis of 26 studies has shown that the probability of adult smokers quitting smoking is lower in smokers who use e-cigarettes for smoking cessation compared to non- e-cigarette users [
21].
In this study around 20% of students were current e-cigarette smokers; this percentage is lower than the prevalence of e-cigarette smoking reported among Jordanian adults (33.1%) [
17]. This may be justified by the high level of knowledge of health professions students which makes them more aware of the harmful effects of e-cigarettes. On the other hand, the prevalence in this study was higher than that reported among Jordanian university students which was only around 10% as measured by a national cross-sectional-questionnaire-based study. The respondents to the mentioned study were 1259 undergraduate and graduate Jordanian university students, of which 63.7% were enrolled in medical schools, and similar to our study, most of the mentioned study participants were females (70.2%) [
11]. Furthermore, a national cross-sectional questionnaire-based study from Jordan, which included 1819 medical students from five Jordanian medical colleges, showed that the prevalence of e-cigarette use among Jordanian university medical students was 9.5% e-cigarettes [
23]. Compared to the prevalent results reported in the previously cited studies and taking into consideration that the methods used in those studies may not be similar, the prevalence reported in this study indicates an increase in the e-smoking rate among university students in Jordan which could be an alarming sign of the increase of e-cigarettes smoking popularity among young adults in Jordan. Looking at neighboring countries, a study from Saudi Arabia has shown that the prevalence of e-cigarette smoking was more at 11.5% among medical students [
18].
Regarding the co-factors associated with students being e-cigarette users, our study shows that male students use e-cigarettes about two times (2.3) more than female students. In fact, nearly eight out of ten males in Jordan smoke nicotine products, including e-cigarettes, according to a study carried out by the Jordanian Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) [
24]. Another study has shown that half of Jordanian males (50.1%) have smoked different tobacco products while only 15.9% of females have. Hence, nearly two-thirds of males in Jordan are current smokers of different tobacco products. That is, males in Jordan have a higher probability to smoke, compared to females. This can be attributed to sociocultural approval which accepts male smoking more than female smoking [
25].
Our results show that having a close relationship with e-cigarette smokers increases the probability of students trying or using e-cigarettes. Parents in general have a very high impact on their children’s lives. Hence, students who have e-cigarette smoking mothers are two-fold more susceptible to trying e-cigarettes than students with non-smoking mothers. Similar findings were observed in a meta-analysis of the risk of smoking for adolescents [
26]. In addition, having e-cigarette smoker friends or siblings increases the probability of students being an e-cigarette smoker by more than three and four times, respectively. This emphasizes how the social interactions of human beings—especially young adults—greatly affect their behaviors and thoughts in what is known as the chameleon effect [
27]. Those findings are consistent with the results of studies conducted in China, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, which demonstrate the high effect of e-cigarette smokers who have a close relationship, such as a sibling or a friend, on a person’s probability of using e-cigarettes [
13,
18,
28].
Nowadays, social media platforms play an essential role in student life as they are used on a daily basis. This was reflected in the results of our study, where social media platforms were the main source of information regarding e-cigarettes for the majority of students (80.9%), and they have the largest effect on students compared to other sources. Large exposure to e-cigarette advertising posts on social media platforms can motivate young adults to attempt e-cigarette use, as seen in a study among college students in Hawaii, which makes it essential to have good monitoring of advertising posts on all social media platforms [
29].
In our study, a positive correlation was found between students’ GPAs and their probability to be e-cigarette smokers. Students with fair and weak GPAs were more likely to use e-cigarettes compared to students with higher GPAs, which goes in line with a study conducted on adolescents [
30]. Robert and colleagues have shown that the prevalence of smoking is higher among adolescents who have low academic performance [
30]. Another study conducted at Cardiff University has shown that non-smoking students have a higher academic performance compared to smoking students, which could be attributed to the negative effects of tobacco smoke on the brain. In addition, students’ performance could be negatively affected by the withdrawal effects of nicotine during assessment periods [
31].
It was also noticed in the results of our study that when the educational level of the participant’s father increases, the probability of the student being an e-cigarette user increases. This could be explained by the increase in the family income as the father’s educational level increases, so students could have a higher allowance making e-cigarettes more affordable to them. Hence, in our study students with a higher monthly allowance have more chance to be e-cigarette users compared to students with a lower monthly allowance.
The outcomes of our study have shown an association between conventional cigarette use and e-cigarette use as around 97% of conventional cigarette smokers were e-cigarette users as well. In addition, almost 95% of conventional cigarette ex-smokers had ever used e-cigarettes. In fact, substantial evidence from several studies has shown that smoking e-cigarettes is linked to subsequent conventional cigarette initiation. A study has shown that the likelihood to be a conventional cigarette user is five times more among current e-cigarette smokers [
32].
E-cigarette smoking is highly perceived to be less harmful than conventional cigarette smoking among young adults. In the present study, most students believe that e-cigarettes are a safer alternative to conventional cigarettes. That was also found in a similar study among university students in Jordan, where most students think that e-cigarette smoking is safer than conventional cigarette smoking [
11]. In fact, e-cigarettes vapor is considered very harmful and is linked to oral squamous cell carcinoma [
33]. Moreover, the nicotine contained in e-cigarettes is not only addictive, but can also lead to mouth cancer [
34]. Furthermore, nicotine has been linked to serious problems affecting the parts of the brain responsible for impulse control, attention, mood, and learning especially in adolescent-developing brains, and increases the risk of future addiction to other drugs. Actually, brains keep developing till the age of 25, making adolescents and young adults highly affected by the negative outcomes of e-cigarettes [
35]. In addition, e-cigarette smoking was also associated with lifetime eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, binge eating, or bulimia as reported by a study among college students in the United States [
36]. All the mentioned harmful effects of e-cigarettes necessitate the supervision and control of e-cigarette use.
A study has shown that applying taxes, banning sales and advertising of e-cigarettes designs and their liquid (juice), and increasing awareness about their risks can be helpful in restricting the use of e-cigarettes [
37]. A study established in Jordan and the West Bank of Palestine has demonstrated the importance of taxes in reducing the prevalence of tobacco products and the economic burden associated with it. The fact that people usually substitute different tobacco products such as conventional cigarettes, water-pipes, and e-cigarettes shows the importance of applying taxes on all tobacco products, not only on certain products [
25].
In our study, most students think that e-cigarettes are harder to obtain and more expensive compared to conventional cigarettes. Hence, the accessibility dimension was the least supported by participants. In fact, e-cigarettes in Jordan are sold mainly in special vape shops while conventional cigarettes can be found in most supermarkets and local shops which makes them easier to purchase. That confirms the importance of restricting the sale of e-cigarette products to special vape shops only, hindering the easy access of youth and young adults to those products.
Study Limitations
Our study has some limitations. The participants surveyed were students at the University of Jordan only. Therefore, generalizing those results to other student communities of health professions could be limited. Future work including more universities and larger sample sizes is needed to have a more comprehensive understanding of e-cigarette use among university students in Jordan. In addition, the ability to ensure data quality via online questionnaires is lower than in direct interviews. The study population is mainly composed of female participants which might affect the overall incidence rate of e-cigarette use, yet the revealed e-cigarette ratio is considered relatively high. Moreover, based on the registration unit at UJ records at the time of the study, the percentage of female students at the health professions schools is almost two-thirds (65.8%)