The Use and Knowledge Around Vaping and Their Correlates Among University Students—A Cross-sectional Australian Study

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of e-cigarette use (“vaping”) among youth has emerged as a public health concern. We aim to explore vape use, knowledge levels, and correlates in a sample of Australian young adults. Participants from six residential university colleges in Queensland, Australia, were invited to complete an online survey. The sample included 716 students (M_age=18.1 years). Correlates of vape use and knowledge examined included socio-demographic variables, other substance use, and mental health, including PHQ-9 depression and GAD-7 anxiety. In our sample, 62% of students reported lifetime vaping. Just under half (47.5%) of the sample had used flavour with nicotine vapes, 18.0% had used flavour only, and 2.8% had used other drugs. Past month vaping rates were low at 4.2% for daily use of flavour with nicotine vapes. Co-use of cigarettes was observed with nicotine vapes but most only vaped occasionally. A substantial proportion lacked knowledge about the legality (37.4%) and health harms (25.4%) of vapes. Males had higher odds of vaping. Use of cigarettes, binge drinking, and cannabis use were associated with vaping. While the co-use of cigarettes with nicotine vapes was observed, this was generally only seen among those who vaped occasionally. A notable knowledge gap existed regarding the legality and awareness of the health harms of vaping, signalling a need for educational initiatives. Future research should continue to monitor emerging vaping trends and long-term outcomes. The project was pre-registered on the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (registration number: ACTRN12622000239763).