Awareness, use and perceptions about E-cigarettes among adult smokers in Karachi, Pakistan

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of awareness, current use and intention to use of e-cigarettes among adult smokers. Methods: This cross-sectional survey was carried out at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from July to August 2016, and comprised people aged above 18 years who had smoked more than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime. Convenience sampling method was used. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. SPSS 22 was used for data analysis. Results: Of the 387 participants, 359(92.8%) were male. The overall mean age was 32.4±12.6 years. Moreover, 215(55.5%) respondents belonged to the middle socio-economic class. Besides, 249(64.3%) respondents were aware of e-cigarettes while 39(10.1%) used them, and 81(20.9%) wanted to use them. Socio-economic status was the best predictor for awareness about e-cigarettes (p<0.001), while gender (p=0.001), occupation (p<0.001) and current smoking status (p=0.009) were significantly associated with the use of e-cigarettes. E-cigarettes were perceived as less harmful than tobacco cigarettes by 175(45.3%) respondents, helpful in quitting smoking by 138(35.6%), associated with chronic diseases by 158(40.9%), addictive 142(36.7%), and not safe during pregnancy by 197(50.8%) participants. Conclusion: The percentage of e-cigarette usage was low despite the higher than expected awareness among the subjects.