Adolescent's Health Perceptions of E-Cigarettes: A Systematic Review

Context: E-cigarette use is increasing among adolescents, particularly in high-income countries. This review examines the health perceptions of E-cigarettes among adolescents (aged 12–17 years) residing in the U.S., United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand and their sources of E-cigarette...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sharma, A., McCausland, K., Jancey, Jonine
Format: Journal Article
Published: 2021
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/83146
_version_ 1848764560623796224
author Sharma, A.
McCausland, K.
Jancey, Jonine
author_facet Sharma, A.
McCausland, K.
Jancey, Jonine
author_sort Sharma, A.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Context: E-cigarette use is increasing among adolescents, particularly in high-income countries. This review examines the health perceptions of E-cigarettes among adolescents (aged 12–17 years) residing in the U.S., United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand and their sources of E-cigarette information. Evidence acquisition: Peer-reviewed literature published in January 2009–April 2019 in MEDLINE, Embase, and ProQuest were systematically reviewed using identified keywords. The search identified 654 references. Studies (n=99) that met the inclusion criteria were subjected to full-text screening. A total of 27 articles were subjected to quality appraisal using the Joanna Briggs Institute's critical appraisal checklists. Evidence synthesis: A total of 7 qualitative and 18 quantitative studies were included in the review, and the study characteristics, results, and limitations were extracted. A total of 4 main themes emerged from the study findings: (1) perceived relative harm of E-cigarettes versus that of cigarettes, (2) perceived health effects of E-cigarettes, (3) perceived benefits and safety of E-cigarettes, and (4) sources of E-cigarette information and exposure. Most adolescents perceived E-cigarettes to be less harmful than cigarettes; however, often, their health perceptions of E-cigarettes were conflicting. Sources of exposure to E-cigarette information included friends, family, retail point of sale, TV and online advertising, national agencies, healthcare providers, and from direct experience. Conclusions: Findings indicate that adolescents, particularly E-cigarette users, have more favorable perceptions of E-cigarettes than of cigarettes; however, these perceptions are conflicting. Advertising, marketing, and peer and family networks appear to influence adolescents’ perceptions. More research is required, particularly in Australia and New Zealand, to better understand adolescents’ health perceptions of E-cigarettes and where they source information from so that misperceptions can be addressed through appropriate channels with suitable messaging.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T11:21:18Z
format Journal Article
id curtin-20.500.11937-83146
institution Curtin University Malaysia
institution_category Local University
last_indexed 2025-11-14T11:21:18Z
publishDate 2021
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling curtin-20.500.11937-831462022-03-31T03:38:32Z Adolescent's Health Perceptions of E-Cigarettes: A Systematic Review Sharma, A. McCausland, K. Jancey, Jonine Context: E-cigarette use is increasing among adolescents, particularly in high-income countries. This review examines the health perceptions of E-cigarettes among adolescents (aged 12–17 years) residing in the U.S., United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand and their sources of E-cigarette information. Evidence acquisition: Peer-reviewed literature published in January 2009–April 2019 in MEDLINE, Embase, and ProQuest were systematically reviewed using identified keywords. The search identified 654 references. Studies (n=99) that met the inclusion criteria were subjected to full-text screening. A total of 27 articles were subjected to quality appraisal using the Joanna Briggs Institute's critical appraisal checklists. Evidence synthesis: A total of 7 qualitative and 18 quantitative studies were included in the review, and the study characteristics, results, and limitations were extracted. A total of 4 main themes emerged from the study findings: (1) perceived relative harm of E-cigarettes versus that of cigarettes, (2) perceived health effects of E-cigarettes, (3) perceived benefits and safety of E-cigarettes, and (4) sources of E-cigarette information and exposure. Most adolescents perceived E-cigarettes to be less harmful than cigarettes; however, often, their health perceptions of E-cigarettes were conflicting. Sources of exposure to E-cigarette information included friends, family, retail point of sale, TV and online advertising, national agencies, healthcare providers, and from direct experience. Conclusions: Findings indicate that adolescents, particularly E-cigarette users, have more favorable perceptions of E-cigarettes than of cigarettes; however, these perceptions are conflicting. Advertising, marketing, and peer and family networks appear to influence adolescents’ perceptions. More research is required, particularly in Australia and New Zealand, to better understand adolescents’ health perceptions of E-cigarettes and where they source information from so that misperceptions can be addressed through appropriate channels with suitable messaging. 2021 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/83146 10.1016/j.amepre.2020.12.013 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ fulltext
spellingShingle Sharma, A.
McCausland, K.
Jancey, Jonine
Adolescent's Health Perceptions of E-Cigarettes: A Systematic Review
title Adolescent's Health Perceptions of E-Cigarettes: A Systematic Review
title_full Adolescent's Health Perceptions of E-Cigarettes: A Systematic Review
title_fullStr Adolescent's Health Perceptions of E-Cigarettes: A Systematic Review
title_full_unstemmed Adolescent's Health Perceptions of E-Cigarettes: A Systematic Review
title_short Adolescent's Health Perceptions of E-Cigarettes: A Systematic Review
title_sort adolescent's health perceptions of e-cigarettes: a systematic review
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/83146