Prevalence and Knowledge of Electronic Cigarettes among School Teachers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Electronic (E) cigarette use has skyrocketed globally since its introduction in 2004, especially among
youth and young adults. While potentially less harmful than traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes (ECs) pose serious
health risks, including cardiovascular system and respiratory system injuries. Surveys in Saudi Arabia reveal
high rates of ECs use, which has become a growing concern for schools. This study aims to assess the prevalence
knowledge of ECs among school teachers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: An anonymous self
administered online questionnaire was used to collect data, and the link was sent through WhatsApp Application
to the randomized sample of both gender teachers working at public and private schools in Jeddah City. Teachers’
responses were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22 (SPSS, IBM
Corp., Armonk, New York, USA). Results: A total of 400 participants were involved in this study. Most of the
participants were females than males (73.8% versus 26.3%), in age group ≥40 (66.0%) than 30–39 years (22.3%)
and <30 years (11.8%), and teaching secondary school (43.5%). Participants said social media (52.5%) and then
their relatives and friends (41.3%) were their primary sources of ECs knowledge. More than two-thirds of them
(n = 348, 87.0%) confirmed that they had not used ECs or vaped before, while (n = 27, 6.8%) reported using it
only once or twice, 4.3% used it sometimes, and 2.0% used it constantly. The vast majority of the participants
(92.8%) identified correctly that exposing children to vaping or ECs is not safe. Conclusion: This study shows
that knowledge of electronic cigarettes among school teachers is poor and insufficient. Educational programs
about the impact of electronic cigarettes are necessary to increase awareness