Adults Increasingly View E-Cigarettes As More Harmful Than Cigarettes

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By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on March 17, 2026.

via HealthDay

TUESDAY, March 17, 2026 -- Public perceptions of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have changed over the last decade, with adults increasingly viewing e-cigarettes as more harmful than combustible cigarettes, according to a study published online March 11 in Nicotine & Tobacco Research.

Alexander Wu, from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and colleagues used longitudinal data from the Health Information National Trends Survey to examine changes in perceptions of e-cigarettes' harm relative to cigarettes among U.S. adults from 2012 to 2022.

The analysis included 20,771 survey respondents. The researchers observed an increase in the proportion perceiving e-cigarettes as more harmful than combustible cigarettes, from 2.8 to 30.4 percent from 2012 to 2022. Likewise, there was a decrease in the perceptions of e-cigarettes as less harmful, from 50.7 to 16.7 percent. Following the national rollout of the antivaping campaigns and the e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury outbreak, perceptions changed significantly.

"The perception that e-cigarettes are more harmful than cigarettes has been linked to both a decreased willingness to use e-cigarettes for smoking cessation and an increased likelihood of switching from vaping to smoking," co-lead author David E. Gerber, M.D., also from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, said in a statement. "Understanding the ramifications of this perception change represents a critical consideration when developing cessation strategies."

Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

Source: HealthDay

Posted : 2026-03-18 02:00

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