Eighth International Conference on Health, Wellness & Society

Abstract

Tobacco related illness remains the leading cause of preventable mortality in the United States, and of preventable disease worldwide. Investigating an educational gradient among current smokers in adopting an alternative to conventional cigarettes (electronic cigarettes) will help policymakers better understand who is accessing potentially safer cigarette alternatives, and whether education disparities contribute to variation in use. This study used nationally representative data from Wave I of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study to isolate the population of 8,925 participants considered current, established smokers of conventional cigarettes. Within that population, this study defined a subset of those smokers as current dual users of conventional cigarettes (CCs) and electronic cigarettes (ECs), and a separate group as experimental or ever-users of ECs (who were not also current, dual users). Independent study variables were educational attainment, controlling for tobacco-specific health knowledge, financial stress, and other demographic covariates. Study outcomes were self-reported intent to quit, use of ECs to reduce CC smoking, and use of ECs as an alternative quitting tobacco completely. Educational attainment was positively associated with increased tobacco-related health knowledge among all participants, and with the odds of intention to quit among current smokers. Increased health knowledge scores were associated with higher odds of reporting intent to quit, use of EC’s to reduce CC smoking, and use of EC’s as an alternative to quitting tobacco use completely (OR=1.73-10.87, p<0.01). The magnitude and statistical significance of the study findings related to the effect of education on tobacco-related health knowledge, and therefore on intent to quit and use of ECs to change smoking behavior, suggest that policies targeted toward increasing specific knowledge related to tobacco harm could prove effective in reducing cigarette use among current adult smokers.