Attitudes of pharmacy students about vaping as a smoking-cessation tool: A quantitative study.

Abstract

Background: Vaping serves as a smoking cessation tool by providing individuals with an alternative method to satisfy their nicotine cravings without the harmful effects of traditional cigarette smoking. This study aims to explore the viewpoints of pharmacy students who are currently enrolled at Liverpool John Moores University regarding the effectiveness of vaping as a method for smoking cessation.

Methods: An exploratory quantitative study was conducted using an online questionnaire sent to the students studying on the Pharmacy Programme in the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences.

Results: A total of 55 participants completed an online survey, yielding several key findings. In terms of students' attitudes towards vaping as a helpful smoking cessation tool, 12.7% strongly agreed and 49.1% agreed that they could be helpful. Regarding the effectiveness of e-cigarettes compared to Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), 9.1% strongly agreed and 18.2% agreed that e-cigarettes are more effective as a smoking cessation tool than NRT. 18.2% of students strongly agreed and 43.6% agreed that combining e-cigarettes with cessation services such as behavioural support would be more effective than using e-cigarettes alone. In terms of student’ knowledge about vaping, 60.0% did not know that e-cigarettes users can report side effects via the Yellow Scheme Card if suspecting a side effect from using e-cigarettes. 58.2% of students did not know that medically licensed e-cigarettes are not currently available in the UK. When asking whether e-cigarettes are strictly regulated for safety and quality in the UK, 49.1% of students replied that they are not strictly regulated, and 29.1% did not know the answer. When it came to providing advice to patients, 9.1% strongly agreed and 25.5% agreed to recommend e-cigarettes to quit smoking.7.3% of students strongly agreed and 43.6% agreed to recommend e-cigarettes to smokers who failed to quit smoking using traditional methods. 43.6% strongly agreed and 23.6% agreed that there is a lack of high-quality evidence on the effectiveness of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool.

Conclusion: The study provided an overview of pharmacy students ‘attitudes on vaping as a smoking cessation aid. The study also identified some implications that should be considered for future research including the need to enhance pharmacy students' knowledge on vaping as a smoking cessation aid, integrating evidence-based content into the curriculum, organising workshops, learning sessions, and providing mandatory training in retail pharmacy settings can be effective.