Perceptions of E-Cigarette Use as Means for Smoking Cessation among Selected E-Cigarette Users in Iligan City

Abstract

Background and Aim Understanding users’ perspectives, duration of use, and stages of change related to smoking cessation is crucial for informing effective interventions.  Design We employed a correlational design and used questionnaires to collect data from 120 e-cigarette users in Iligan City. Respondents were divided into two groups based on smoking cessation stage categories: action and maintenance.  Results Respondents generally held positive views of e- cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool. Nearly 30% of the users transitioned from traditional cigarettes to e- cigarettes within six months. More than half of the respondents were actively taking steps to quit (action stage), while almost 46% had successfully quit and were in the maintenance stage. The study found no significant association between the perceptions of e-cigarette use as a tool for smoking cessation and the stage of change in smoking cessation, as well as between the duration of e- cigarette use and the stage of change in smoking cessation.  Conclusion Even if our findings suggest that perceptions on e- cigarette smoking and duration of e-cigarette use showed no significant association with smoking cessation stages of change, respondents revealed a leap by taking actions to quit traditional smoking.