Perception about e-cigarettes in Malaysia : sociodemographic correlates

The prevalence of e-cigarette smoking is increasing. Many people still have a poor understanding of the risks of e-cigarettes. The purpose of this study is to examine sociodemographic factors associated with the perception that e-cigarettes are less dangerous than regular cigarettes. Multivariable...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Cheah, Yong Kang, Teh, Chien Huey, Lim, Kuang Hock, Chee, Cheong Kee
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Pusat Perubatan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2022
Online Access:http://journalarticle.ukm.my/18418/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/18418/1/345-Article%20Text-2148-1-10-20220308.pdf
_version_ 1848814567620083712
author Cheah, Yong Kang
Teh, Chien Huey
Lim, Kuang Hock
Chee, Cheong Kee
author_facet Cheah, Yong Kang
Teh, Chien Huey
Lim, Kuang Hock
Chee, Cheong Kee
author_sort Cheah, Yong Kang
building UKM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description The prevalence of e-cigarette smoking is increasing. Many people still have a poor understanding of the risks of e-cigarettes. The purpose of this study is to examine sociodemographic factors associated with the perception that e-cigarettes are less dangerous than regular cigarettes. Multivariable logistic regressions are utilised to estimate the effects of sociodemographic factors on the likelihood of having the perception that e-cigarettes are less dangerous than regular cigarettes. A Malaysian nationwide survey that consists of a large sample size (n = 4176) is used for secondary analysis. The survey was conducted in 2011. Younger age, male gender and high educational level are associated with good perception about e-cigarettes. Older individuals are less likely to think that e-cigarettes are less dangerous than regular cigarettes compared with younger individuals (aOR: 0.971; 95% CI: 0.957, 0.985). Males are more likely to have the perception that e-cigarettes are less dangerous than regular cigarettes relative to females (aOR: 2.302; 95% CI: 1.631, 3.249). Having primary (aOR: 0.171; 95% CI: 0.096, 0.304) or secondary (aOR: 0.447; 95% CI: 0.318, 0.629) educational level rather than tertiary educational level is associated with a reduced likelihood of having the perception that e-cigarettes are less dangerous than regular cigarettes. Targeted intervention to the high-risk population plays an important role in determining the perception about e-cigarettes. Nationwide health promotion programmes directed toward changing the perception about e-cigarettes among individuals who think that e-cigarettes are less dangerous than regular cigarettes may be effective in lowering the risk of suffering from the currently unknown long-term negative effect of e-cigarettes.
first_indexed 2025-11-15T00:36:08Z
format Article
id oai:generic.eprints.org:18418
institution Universiti Kebangasaan Malaysia
institution_category Local University
language English
last_indexed 2025-11-15T00:36:08Z
publishDate 2022
publisher Pusat Perubatan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling oai:generic.eprints.org:184182022-04-16T06:51:14Z http://journalarticle.ukm.my/18418/ Perception about e-cigarettes in Malaysia : sociodemographic correlates Cheah, Yong Kang Teh, Chien Huey Lim, Kuang Hock Chee, Cheong Kee The prevalence of e-cigarette smoking is increasing. Many people still have a poor understanding of the risks of e-cigarettes. The purpose of this study is to examine sociodemographic factors associated with the perception that e-cigarettes are less dangerous than regular cigarettes. Multivariable logistic regressions are utilised to estimate the effects of sociodemographic factors on the likelihood of having the perception that e-cigarettes are less dangerous than regular cigarettes. A Malaysian nationwide survey that consists of a large sample size (n = 4176) is used for secondary analysis. The survey was conducted in 2011. Younger age, male gender and high educational level are associated with good perception about e-cigarettes. Older individuals are less likely to think that e-cigarettes are less dangerous than regular cigarettes compared with younger individuals (aOR: 0.971; 95% CI: 0.957, 0.985). Males are more likely to have the perception that e-cigarettes are less dangerous than regular cigarettes relative to females (aOR: 2.302; 95% CI: 1.631, 3.249). Having primary (aOR: 0.171; 95% CI: 0.096, 0.304) or secondary (aOR: 0.447; 95% CI: 0.318, 0.629) educational level rather than tertiary educational level is associated with a reduced likelihood of having the perception that e-cigarettes are less dangerous than regular cigarettes. Targeted intervention to the high-risk population plays an important role in determining the perception about e-cigarettes. Nationwide health promotion programmes directed toward changing the perception about e-cigarettes among individuals who think that e-cigarettes are less dangerous than regular cigarettes may be effective in lowering the risk of suffering from the currently unknown long-term negative effect of e-cigarettes. Pusat Perubatan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2022 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://journalarticle.ukm.my/18418/1/345-Article%20Text-2148-1-10-20220308.pdf Cheah, Yong Kang and Teh, Chien Huey and Lim, Kuang Hock and Chee, Cheong Kee (2022) Perception about e-cigarettes in Malaysia : sociodemographic correlates. International Journal of Public Health Research, 12 (1). pp. 1556-1563. ISSN 2232-0245 https://spaj.ukm.my/ijphr/index.php/ijphr/issue/view/30
spellingShingle Cheah, Yong Kang
Teh, Chien Huey
Lim, Kuang Hock
Chee, Cheong Kee
Perception about e-cigarettes in Malaysia : sociodemographic correlates
title Perception about e-cigarettes in Malaysia : sociodemographic correlates
title_full Perception about e-cigarettes in Malaysia : sociodemographic correlates
title_fullStr Perception about e-cigarettes in Malaysia : sociodemographic correlates
title_full_unstemmed Perception about e-cigarettes in Malaysia : sociodemographic correlates
title_short Perception about e-cigarettes in Malaysia : sociodemographic correlates
title_sort perception about e-cigarettes in malaysia : sociodemographic correlates
url http://journalarticle.ukm.my/18418/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/18418/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/18418/1/345-Article%20Text-2148-1-10-20220308.pdf