The dependence level among adolescent vape users: a cross-sectional study
Abstract
Vape is a battery-powered device that works by heating a liquid called “e-liquid”. The use of vape has significantly increased in the past years among high and middle school students. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the level of dependence among adolescent vape users in Lebanon and to assess their knowledge about vape health hazards. A descriptive cross-sectional study with a self-administered questionnaire. A link for the survey was generated on Google Forms and sent to adolescents in the community. The survey was sent to parents of vape users and after their approval, it was shared with their adolescent children for data collection. The data collection form included sociodemographic characteristics, awareness, perception, vaping background, and the Penn State Electronic Dependence Index to evaluate the level of dependence among adolescent vape users. A total of 438 participants were included in this study. The findings revealed that 45.9% are current vape users, of which most of them have low dependence on these devices (43.8%), while the rest are medium dependent (24.8%), highly dependent (5.5%), and non-dependent (25.9%). While in terms of perception, vape users perceived vaping to be completely healthy and non-addictive. The findings of this study showed that 87.6% of vape users in Lebanon are dependent at some level. Additionally, a gap was seen in the knowledge about the health effects of vaping significantly among the vape users. Future research should…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a cross-sectional, done in people. Its evidence level is 4 of 5 (Low · observational). Observational designs can show an association but not prove cause. Reported size: 438 participants or records.
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