Assessing Vaping Usage and Views Among Medical School Students

Nova Southeastern University, Davie, Florida, USA

Objective. This study was conducted to determine the views of medical students with respect to vaping and their views on the education they receive toward the usage of vaping products. Background. Vaping products were initially seen as a beneficial alternative to cigarettes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, however, 2,668 hospitalizations and 60 deaths have been reported in the U.S. alone this year due to electronic cigarette associated lung injury. Methods. All students enrolled in NSU-KPCOM were sent an email via listserv with a link to the Google Form Survey regarding vaping. All respondents answered the first section of the survey. If the user had vaped at least once, they completed the remainder of the survey. The survey is a total of 18 questions. Results. Out of 252 medical school students, 96.4% believed that vaping is a danger to one’s health. Though, 37.7% admitted to vaping at least once in their lifetime. 39.4% of vaping users continue to vape knowing its dangers. 90.4% of those vaping users also did not think that their usage impacted others around them. 67.8% rated their institution’s curriculum on vaping as poor or very poor with 76.2% of students responding that their medical school education had no impact on their views about vaping. Conclusion. Medical school students are aware of the overall dangers of vaping, however many have at least tried vaping or continue to vape knowing these dangers. Furthermore, although most medical students view vaping as a health hazard, students receive little to no formal education about the detriments of vaping. There is a clear necessity to implement electronic cigarette education into medical school curriculums.