Vaping in a heavily regulated setting: cross-sectional survey of e-cigarette use, perceptions and social media exposure

Abstract

BackgroundSingapore has completely banned e-cigarettes and the government’s cautious stance against vaping has been consistent. Despite this, vaping appears to have gained popularity in Singapore, especially among younger people. With the heavy marketing of vaping products on social media, it is possible that such marketing, due to its cross-border nature, is reaching younger Singaporeans and driving changes in vaping-related perceptions or behaviours. This study examines their exposure to vaping-related content on social media, and whether such exposure is associated with more positive perceptions of vaping or e-cigarette ever use.MethodsAnalysis of cross-sectional survey data of 550 adult (age 21–40 years) Singaporeans recruited via convenience methods in May 2022, using descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses, and multiple linear and logistic regression models.Results16.9% of participants reported they had ever used e-cigarettes. 18.5% of those who used social media recalled seeing vaping-related content on a social media platform in the past 6 months, mostly from influencers or friends, and on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and/or YouTube. Reporting exposure to such content was not associated with e-cigarette ever use. It was associated with having a more positive overall perception of vaping (β=1.47; 95% CI: 0.17 to 2.78), although no significant difference was observed when examining only health-related perceptions.ConclusionEven in a heavily regulated environment such as Singapore’s, people appear to be exposed to vaping-related content on social media platforms and this exposure is, in turn, associated with more positive perceptions of vaping, but not e-cigarette ever use.

E-cigarette use, perceived risks, attitudes, opinions of e-cigarette policies, and associated factors among Thai university students

“…The participants in this study mentioned seeing e-cigarette advertising mainly through social media platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook, similar to previous research conducted in Singapore 32 . The university students in our study reported seeing e-cigarette media via TikTok more than YouTube, which is slightly different from the adult participants from a previous study in Singapore, which may be due to the popularity of TikTok over YouTube in the younger generation in Thailand.…”

Tobacco control policy and regulation from diverse perspectives and contexts

“…Roberts et al's 18 study of organised opposition by Juul to prevent local flavour bans shows the challenges of implementing such parameters, while Ng et al highlight the ubiquity of exposure to e-cigarette marketing and how it can create positive perceptions of products, even in markets where they are completely banned. 19 Using waves 1 to 5 data from the Population and Health study, Krishnan et al 20 modelled trajectories of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and cigarette use and found that prior to 2019, ENDS use did not contribute substantially to increased population-level smoking cessation. They note ongoing ENDS market changes as a factor to be considered in monitoring trajectories of dual use.…”