Perceptions about e-cigarette safety may lead to e-smoking during pregnancy

Journal Article

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Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic

Bull.Menninger Clin.

Summer

243

252

LR: 20151029; GR: DA026539/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States; GR: DA09167/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States; GR: K01 DA026539/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States; GR: R03 DA029167/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States; JID: 7507032; NIHMS696463; OID: NLM: NIHMS696463; OID: NLM

United States

1943-2828; 0025-9284

PMID: 25247743

eng

Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; IM

10.1521/bumc.2014.78.3.243 [doi]

Unknown(0)

25247743

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are nicotine-delivery devices that are increasingly used, especially by young people. Because e-cigarettes lack many of the substances found in regular tobacco, they are often perceived as a safer smoking alternative, especially in high-risk situations such as pregnancy. However, studies suggest that it is exposure to nicotine that is most detrimental to prenatal development. The authors studied perceptions of tobacco and e-cigarette health risks using a multiple-choice survey. To study the perceived safety of e-cigarettes versus tobacco cigarettes, 184 modified Global Health Youth Surveys (WHO, http://www.who.int/tobacco/surveillance/gyts/en/ ) were completed electronically or on paper. Age range, smoking status, and perceptions about tobacco cigarettes and e-cigarettes were studied. The results verified that younger people use e-cigarettes more than older people. Tobacco cigarettes were perceived as more harmful than e-cigarettes to health in general, including lung cancer and pregnancy. Although more research is necessary, the authors postulate that the perception that e-cigarettes are safer during pregnancy may induce pregnant women to use these devices more freely. Given that nicotine is known to cause fetal harm, pregnant mothers who smoke e-cigarettes could cause even greater harm to the fetus because e-cigarettes are perceived as being safer than tobacco cigarettes. Until more data about the effects of nicotine during pregnancy are available, the authors advocate for labeling of e-cigarettes as potentially harmful, at least during pregnancy.

Baeza-Loya,S., Viswanath,H., Carter,A., Molfese,D.L., Velasquez,K.M., Baldwin,P.R., Thompson-Lake,D.G., Sharp,C., Fowler,J.C., De La Garza,R.,2nd, Salas,R.

PMC4458373

http://vp9py7xf3h.search.serialssolutions.com/?charset=utf-8&pmid=25247743

2014