Health Sciences Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Health Science
Copyright Statement
All rights reserved. This publication is intended for use solely by faculty, students, and staff of Nova Southeastern University. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, now known or later developed, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author or the publisher.
Department
College of Health Care Sciences – Health Science Department
First Advisor
Akiva Turner
Publication Date / Copyright Date
2019
Publisher
Nova Southeastern University
NSUWorks Citation
Sherbert Samuels. 2019. E-Cigarettes: Perceived Harm among Youth in the United States. Doctoral dissertation. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, College of Health Care Sciences – Health Science Department. (14)
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/hpd_hs_stuetd/14.
Abstract
Studies have shown e-cigarette use surged among youth, but there is limited literature about how youth perceived the harm of these products. In this dissertation study, perceived harm of e-cigarettes and e-cigarette use over time among youth in the United States was explored. The dissertation study also included assessment of associations between perceived harm and susceptibility to e-cigarette use. A subset of data from Wave 1 and Wave 2 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study, a national longitudinal study, was utilized. The PATH study used a questionnaire to capture self-reported data from non-institutionalized participants. Data from 12,154 youth who participated in the PATH study were analyzed. The results showed perceived harm of e-cigarettes changed over time among youth and changes in perceived absolute harm of e-cigarettes coincided with changes in e-cigarette use. The results also indicated that perceived absolute harm of e-cigarettes was associated with susceptibility to use of e-cigarettes and susceptibility to use of e-cigarettes was associated with subsequent e-cigarette use. With the dissertation study, the need for integration of perceived harm of e-cigarettes into tobacco control strategies aimed at reducing e-cigarette use among youth was underscored.
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences
Keywords
E-cigarettes, tobacco, youth, perceived harm, United States