Prevalence and usage profile of electronic cigarettes in medical students from a capital in southern Brazil

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Electronic cigarettes have gained prominence in the Brazilian social scene in recent years, especially among university students. This rise raises questions about the incidence and potential effects of their use among medical students. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence and characterize the socioeconomic profile of medical students who use electronic smoking devices (ESDs), as well as to investigate the degree of dependence on electronic cigarettes, duration of use, and associated symptoms. METHODOLOGY: This is a cross-sectional observational study conducted with medical students in the city of Curitiba-PR, through the application of a self-administered questionnaire via the Google Forms platform. The questionnaire included questions about socioeconomic data, electronic cigarette use and frequency, occurrence of symptoms, presence of anxiety, and nicotine dependence scale. The study was approved by the Ethics and Research Committee of the Positivo University. RESULTS: A total of 562 participants were included, mostly women, with an average age of 22 years. The prevalence of electronic cigarette users was 39.7%. Regarding the users profile, proportionally, the majority are men with incomes higher than 10 minimum wages. Cough and odynophagia were the main symptoms reported. 72.5% of ESD users reported feeling anxious, and additionally, 22.4% of users exhibited a high or very high degree of dependence, which was associated with the presence of symptoms when smoking (p=0.021) and a tendency towards anxiety (p=0.056). CONCLUSION: We observed a high prevalence of electronic cigarette use among medical students. Considering the dependency rate and the observed relationship between ESD use and anxiety, it becomes imperative to implement awareness campaigns, as well as to improve regulatory practices regarding their commercialization and use.