“That’s the whole thing about vaping, it’s custom tasty goodness”: a meta-ethnography of young adults’ perceptions and experiences of e-cigarette use

Ranjit, Ananth, McCutchan, Grace ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8079-2540, Brain, Katherine ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9296-9748 and Poole, Ria 2021. “That’s the whole thing about vaping, it’s custom tasty goodness”: a meta-ethnography of young adults’ perceptions and experiences of e-cigarette use. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy 16 , 85. 10.1186/s13011-021-00416-4

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Abstract

Background E-cigarettes are increasing in popularity, particularly among young adults. With public health organisations contesting the possible benefits of e-cigarettes, research is required to explore young adults’ use of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation and recreational tool. This study examined existing qualitative data to understand how transition into adulthood and issues of identity affect young adults’ perceptions and experiences of e-cigarette use. Methods A meta-ethnography was conducted to examine how young adults perceive and use e-cigarettes. Data were synthesised using Noblit and Hare’s (1988) meta-ethnographic approach. Bronfenbrenner’s socio-ecological model (1979) was used to conceptualise themes and map findings. Results A total of 34 studies were included in the review. Young adults viewed e-cigarettes as a safer alternative to traditional cigarette smoking and perceived e-cigarettes as an effective cessation tool. Users were able to personalise their e-cigarette use due to the variety of flavours and devices available. E-cigarettes were found to be a sociable tool as they allowed users to align themselves with their peers who used e-cigarettes and facilitated use within smoke-free environments. Young adults demonstrated high levels of self-efficacy with regards to obtaining e-cigarettes from various retailers and were active consumers of e-cigarette marketing. Conclusion This meta-ethnography provides an in-depth insight into social norms around e-cigarette use and beliefs that e-cigarettes could be a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes. As young adults increasingly engage with e-cigarettes, there is a need for informed policy decisions regarding appropriate use. Engagement with e-cigarettes is often reflected within social media, so this medium could be a key platform for creating tailored interventions which inform young adults about the appropriate use of these products.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Medicine
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) R Medicine > R Medicine (General)
Additional Information:	This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made.
Publisher:	BioMed Central
ISSN:	1747-597X
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	19 November 2021
Date of Acceptance:	8 October 2021
Last Modified:	04 May 2023 19:53
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/145620

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