Introduction
Tobacco companies are developing and advertising products that they claim have reduced harm on the health of the consumers. As a result of this development, the number of youths using e-cigarettes is increasing at a very alarming rate. Center for Disease Control states that the use of e-cigarettes among the middle school teenagers as well as high school students has been tripling every year. It increased from 4.5 percent in 2013 to 13.4 percent in the year 2014. This was a percentage of high school teenagers alone. The use of e-cigarettes among the youths has greatly surpassed the youths’ cigarette smoking. Due to the toxins that arise from smoking cigarettes, laws have been enacted to segregate smoking zones. Cigarettes companies have been forced to come up with smokeless products which contain less toxics that has seen them manufacture of e-cigarettes. Other devices like ENDS have been introduced where a liquid containing nicotine is vapored (Eissenberg, 2011). E-cigarettes resemble the traditional tobacco cigarettes except that they have a plastic tube containing a liquid nicotine as well as a heating device that is powered by a battery. When puffed, only vapor but not smoke is released to the environment. They don’t contain tobacco despite the fact that nicotine is a derivative of tobacco.
The solution in these cigars contains safe propylene glycol, glycerol or both plus nicotine and flavored chemicals. The nicotine is an additive from normal tobacco. Getting addicted to E-cigarette is not termed as more dangerous like the traditional tobacco smoking. Due to the unquestionable concerns of tobacco control, the use of e-cigarette is increasing in many parts of the globe. The purpose of this study was to provide insights on how students view the effects of using e-cigarettes (Rooke, & Amos, 2014).
Users of e-cigarettes share their experiences through social media and other online resources like the internet (Dillman, Smyth, Christian & Dillman, 2009). The interest to use e-cigarettes increases with the increase in the rates of viewing the ads which contain comments on the differences between using the traditional cigarettes and the benefits of shifting to e-cigarettes. These ads prove that e-cigarettes are less harmful relative to the traditional cigarettes that contain tobacco and are effective in cessation. However, nicotine can affect brain development in teens and they contain formaldehyde element and its compounds which is a carcinogenic compound. It is associated with the increased risks of cancer. The flavor compound used in these cigarettes has greatly been linked to the damage of lung tissue. The nicotine vapor in them is addictive (Peyton et al., 2015).
The important objective of the study is to determine the perceptions and beliefs of the college students regarding e-cigarettes and hence the theory proves to be useful. Under the theory, behavioral attention best predicts the behavior that is subjected to volitional control, which in turn is best predicted by the attitudes and the perception of the social norms of the individual involved in the act (Kathryn et al, 2002). It tries to explain the relationship between behaviors and attitudes within human action.
However, according to the theory, there are events or situations that limits the influence of a certain attitude towards a particular behavior. In this case, if one lacks the money to acquire the e-cigarettes, he or she might end up going for the real cigarette which is cheaper. Using real cigarettes has its own consequences that are detrimental to one’s health. Just as we have put it, this theory predicts the behavioral intentions. That is, it brings out a compromise existing between stopping an action during its prediction or actually predicting the action or behavior. The media plays a big role in this compromise situation. For instance, continued advertisement of the importance of e-cigarettes results to continued use. This mostly affects those trying to withdraw. An addict’s attitude may want him to quit smoking but with the influence of the media, such an individual might start smoking again. Tobacco industry markets e-cigarettes to the youths by glamorizing these cigarettes use in many advertisements. The industry even provides these cigarettes in candy flavors (Norman, Conner, & Bell, 1999).
It is ironical that many teenagers are using e-cigarettes with the notion that there are no health risks involved in smoking, They have an assumption that e-cigarettes are better than the regular cigarettes. However, there are risks involved in smoking e-cigarettes as well.
Even though they have been marketed as safe for consumption by the media, these products provide a cocktail of very dangerous chemicals such as carcinogens the lungs. In addition they enhance the resistance of bacteria to antibiotics.
There has been an emergence of poisoning concerns resulting from the use of these cigarettes. CDC found out that poisoning resulting from e-cigarettes was as a result of either ingesting liquid poison from the e-cigarettes or the liquid content. The fact that e-cigarettes have nicotine brings out its poisoning effect. Some of the symptoms for potential poisoning include nausea, vomiting and prolonged seizures. This mostly happens to the teenagers.
Purpose of the research
The purpose of this qualitative research study is to test the level of knowledge of young individuals in this case college students regarding E-cigarettes and the role of the media influencing it is used, by observing closely the participants responses during a focus group discussion. By implementing this procedure we will be able to identify some of the misunderstandings if there is any and we can also take a broader look at the participants’ thoughts, opinions, and beliefs as well (Trumbo, & Harper, 2013). At the same time promote awareness of the risk of using these electronic devices.
Significance
The study will create public awareness of the existing lack of information on electronic cigarettes. Furthermore, this study will give some sort of feedback to the previous researchers to work more in developing interventions on how to educate people on electronic cigarettes and media influence.
Specific Aims
1-To determine the perceptions and beliefs of the college students regarding e-cigarettes
2- To determine the risks of using e-cigarettes
Limitations
This research lacked enough articles to support it. Authors in search engines like Google talked very little on smoking of e-cigarettes. The chosen colleges had very limited levels of cultural, ethnic and cultural diversity. A broader interpretation of the results is hence compromised. Time was also a major limitation. The participants in the focus group did not answer all questions since the focus group comprised of between 35 to 40 minutes. They were reluctant to stay for a longer period of time during the group discussions.
Conclusion
The usage of e-cigarettes in college students is mainly linked to users who have been smoking the traditional cigarettes before. The expanding use of e-cigarettes is due to health concerns of the effects of smoke on lungs and people want to switch to a safer smoking practice if they cannot have a cessation. The dominant use of Hookah bars for instance is dominantly spreading in campuses as the use of the product does not affect the others who don’t use it. Hence, as the study has proven, there is a wider possibility that e-cigarettes may be widely accepted in all social norms as they don’t affect non-users. The awareness of the e-cigarettes is aided by TV averts and the show of celebrities who share the experiences across social utilities. The risks of e-cigarettes are not clear from the limited research articles available but they are subject to regulation such that kids don’t use them. Nicotine in the products hinders brain development in children. Abusing nicotine in the public setting triggers little or no normative impact on the way others view the behavior.
Terminology:
ENDS: stands for Electronic Nicotine Delivery System where nicotine-containing liquid is vapored (Pepper, & Brewer, 2013).
TRA: stands for Theory of Reasoned Action (Kathryn et al, 2002).
E-cigarettes: E-cigarettes resemble the traditional tobacco cigarettes except that they have a plastic tube containing a liquid nicotine as well as a heating device that is powered by a battery (Harper, 2013).
References
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