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

• Published in: Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic 2014, Vol.78 (3), p.243-252
• Main Authors: Baeza-Loya, Selina, Viswanath, Humsini, Carter, Asasia, Molfese, David L, Velasquez, Kenia M, Baldwin, Philip R, Thompson-Lake, Daisy G Y, Sharp, Carla, Fowler, J Christopher, De La Garza, 2nd, Richard, Salas, Ramiro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems; Female; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Pregnancy; Pregnant Women; Smoking; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0025-9284; 1943-2828
• DOI: 10.1521/bumc.2014.78.3.243

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.