ABSTRACT

Background: Vapes are forms of electronic nicotine delivery systems promoted as a safer alternative to cigarette smoking.

Aim: To compare the attitude, knowledge and health status between male and female vape users in the Saudi community.

Study Design: Cross sectional study.

Methodology: Present study enrolled 865 participants involving both genders. A self-administered questionnaire related to the awareness and attitudes of vape users was uploaded online and spread through the community targeting vape current and previous users through the different social media tools. Informed written consent was

taken. Unwilling participants were excluded. Data analyzed by SPSS 23.0. Frequency and percentage were given for socio-demographic, attitude, knowledge and health status. Moreover, Chi square test was also used to compare the attitude, knowledge and health status between both genders. A p-value ≤ 0.05 was taken as significant.

Results: There was no significant difference in attitude and health status between male and female. However, the adequate knowledge was higher in male participants as compared to female.

Conclusion: This study concluded that the Saudi vaping community shows a high level of knowledge and awareness regarding the use of vape and its possible consequences on the general and oral health and believe it to be an effective tool in smoking cessation.

Keywords: Vape Users, Awareness, Attitude and Health Status.