Abstract
Modern electronic cigarettes, which were invented in Beijing, China, have been in existence since 2003 and over the past few years, have become increasingly popular. E-cigarettes are battery-operated devices designed to replicate smoking behaviour without the use of tobacco, and the legal state of these varies worldwide. There has been an increase in the number of stores selling these products in Greenstone Hill, Johannesburg. E-cigarette manufacturers promote their products as a healthier alternative to, and substitute for, traditional tobacco cigarettes. This was an observational, cross sectional study that used convenience sampling. The researcher approached 5 stores in the Greenstone Hill area that were selling ecigarettes at the time the study was conducted. Data were collected through a structured self-administered questionnaire which was hand delivered to all participants, and thereafter captured and analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics software version 25. This research was driven by a need to develop an informed understanding of the knowledge, attitudes and practices of e-cigarette users in stores of Greenstone Hill, Johannesburg. The results indicate that more male (85.1%) than female (14.9%) participants use e-cigarettes. A high percentage of participants used e-cigarettes to satisfy their curiosity. The data show that although the use of e-cigarettes was mostly started for health reasons (30.32%), the use of the product was not strictly limited to smokers. Users gave reasons such as smoking of traditional cigarettes causes lung diseases and is associated with cancer. There needs to be more specific health education awareness provided to non-smokers and users to make them aware of the health risks associated with e-cigarettes. The results show that even if all participants were aware that e-cigarettes were harmful to health, yet they would continue using the product. Future studies should be conducted on the effects of e-cigarettes on health, taking into account demographic subgroups, and the need for a finer understanding of the temporal relationship between use of e-cigarettes and tobacco, as well as to understand the true impact of e-cigarette use among those exposed to secondhand vapour.
M.Tech. (Environmental Health)