Abstract

KUDENGA, R; VORSTER, M  and  YANG, J. Knowledge and attitude of adolescents regarding e-cigarettes: A scoping review. S. Afr. dent. j. [online]. 2023, vol.78, n.8, pp.387-393. ISSN 0375-1562.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/sadj.v78i08.16095.

INTRODUCTION: The World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control has informed countries to ban or regulate electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) because of their health adverse effects. Although e-cigarettes are regulated, their popularity has increased among teens OBJECTIVE: To review published articles on the knowledge and attitude of adolescents regarding e-cigarettes and whether their knowledge and attitude influence their use of e-cigarettes METHODS: Literature published from January 2012-11 March 2022 in the PubMed, Web of Science and PsycINFO databases were systematically reviewed using the SPIDER search strategy. We screened the full texts of 100 qualitative and quantitative studies that met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 68 studies were not eligible for review, leaving 32 articles: 21 quantitative studies and 11 qualitative studies RESULTS: Most adolescents believed that e-cigarettes were less harmful than traditional cigarettes. Adolescents used e-cigarettes out of curiosity and the different flavours. Their source of information came from friends, family and social media. Some adolescents believed that e-cigarettes were perfectly safe, and adolescents were influenced by tobacco companies' marketing campaigns CONCLUSION: Findings indicate that adolescents are aware of e-cigarettes; however, their perceptions of them differ. Some adolescents believe that e-cigarettes are safe, while others believe them to be harmful to health or remain unsure of their effects. Findings also revealed that adolescents' use of e-cigarettes is linked to their perceptions of them

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