Assesment of the level of use and knowledge of adolescents about electronic cigarette – A pilot study in Cluj-Napoca Area, Romania

Electronic cigarette use has gained recent agreat popularity and acceptance in the general population, including teenage population. We conducted an observational descriprive study using as a tool questionnaire divided into 11 items, pre-formulated answers questions applied to a number of 664 adolescents from 3 high schools from Cluj-Napoca, Romania, in october 2014.The questionnaire assessed electronic cigarette use and cigarette use, psychosocial risk and protective variables. Analysis of variance and multinomial regression examined variation in risk and protective variables. Mean age was 14.8 years, 51% were males, 32% were smokers, 98% have had knowledge about electronic cigarette from especially from friends (75%), internet (11%) and parents (6%). From smokers 44% used both electronic cigarette (dual users) and from non smokers only 31% used it; main reason for use was curiosity (69%) Adolescents considered that electronic tigarette has economical and health advantages (47%), but also disavantages (53%). Dual users and only cigarette users were highest on risk status (high on risk factors and lower on protective factors) compared with other groups (p