Resumen de e-Cigarette Use and Perceived Harm Among Women of Childbearing Age Who Reported Tobacco Use During the Past Year

Kristin Ashford, Amanda Wiggins, Karen Butler, Melinda Ickes, Ellen Hahn, Mary Kay Rayens

• Background: The prevalence of electronic cigarette use grows. Amid increased e-cigarette use nationwide, this paper attempts to identify underlying risk factors for the most vulnerable populations.

  Objective: The purpose of the study was to assess predictors of e-cigarette use among female current and former tobacco users of childbearing age—specifically to determine whether demographic factors, pregnancy status, conventional cigarette smoking, and perceived e-cigarette harm are associated with e-cigarette use. Reasons for using e-cigarettes were also measured.

  Methods: A cross-sectional, correlational design was used; 194 current and former female tobacco users, 18–45 years of age, from two university-affiliated prenatal clinics and one women’s health clinic in Kentucky took part. Slightly more than half were pregnant. Age, race/ethnicity, education, pregnancy status, use history for cigarettes and e-cigarettes, and perception of health hazard from e-cigarettes were measured, and associations with e-cigarette use were made with Mann–Whitney U-tests or Spearman’s rank correlations. Predictors of e-cigarette use were determined using proportional odds modeling.

  Results: Most current e-cigarette users were also current cigarette smokers (88%). Nearly half of current and former e-cigarette users were pregnant. Most women perceived e-cigarettes as a minor (38%) or moderate (31%) health hazard. In the proportional odds model, younger women were at greater risk for e-cigarette use, whereas minority women and those who were pregnant were less likely to be e-cigarette users.

  Discussion: Pregnant women were less likely to be more recent e-cigarette users, compared with nonpregnant women. However, nearly all current e-cigarette users were dual tobacco users, including pregnant women. It is both imperative and timely to determine the impact of e-cigarette use on maternal and infant health, thus improving healthcare provider confidence to discuss the health implications of e-cigarette use with their patients.