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.
Funder
Singapore Ministry of Education
Subject
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health,Health (social science)
Reference33 articles.
1. Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control . E-cigarette ban & regulation: global status as of february 2021. 2021. Available: https://ggtc.world/knowledge/who-fctc-article-53/e-cigarette-ban-regulation-global-status-as-of-february-2021
2. Parliament of singapore, tobacco (control of advertisements and sale) (amendment) act 2017, government gazette acts supplement, editor. 2017: singapore. 2017.
3. Chin N , Tay T . I can do it at home, the smell won’t linger’: do youths who vape know what they’re inhaling? In Channel News Asia 2022.
4. van der Eijk Y , Ng XY , Lee JK . Cross-Sectional survey of flavored cigarette use among adult smokers in Singapore. Tob Induc Dis 2021;19:42. doi:10.18332/tid/135321
5. “ the menthol one is more friendly ”: young singaporea’s' perspectives on flavored cigarettes;van der Eijk;Asia Pac J Public Health,2022