Comparing the characteristics of former and current vapers
| Characteristics | Former vapers n = 2,503, 81.8% | Current vapers n = 556, 18.2% | Total n = 3,059 | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, yr | ||||
| Mean ± SD | 24.9 ± 11.1 | 22.5 ± 10.7 | 24.4 ± 11.0 | < 0.001 |
| Median (IQR) | 21 (5) | 19 (5) | 21 (6) | < 0.001 |
| Female sex | 1,075 (42.9%) | 207 (37.2%) | 1,282 (41.9%) | 0.02 |
| Province | 0.09 | |||
| Ontario | 461 (18.4%) | 73 (13.1%) | 534 (17.5%) | |
| Quebec | 352 (14.1%) | 74 (13.3%) | 426 (13.9%) | |
| Manitoba | 227 (9.1%) | 55 (9.9%) | 282 (9.2%) | |
| Alberta | 232 (9.3%) | 67 (12.1%) | 299 (9.8%) | |
| British Columbia | 191 (7.6%) | 48 (8.6%) | 239 (7.8%) | |
| Nova Scotia | 206 (8.2%) | 46 (8.3%) | 252 (8.2%) | |
| Saskatchewan | 216 (8.6%) | 42 (7.6%) | 258 (8.4%) | |
| New Brunswick | 221 (8.8%) | 54 (9.7%) | 275 (9.0%) | |
| Prince Edward Island | 148 (5.9%) | 42 (7.6%) | 190 (6.2%) | |
| Newfoundland | 249 (9.9%) | 55 (9.9%) | 304 (9.9%) | |
| Aboriginal | 214 (8.7%) | 46 (8.4%) | 260 (8.5%) | 0.91 |
| Urban residency | 1,855 (74.1%) | 418 (75.2%) | 2,273 (74.3%) | 0.64 |
| Highest education | < 0.001 | |||
| Less than high school | 465 (18.6%) | 210 (37.8%) | 675 (22.1%) | |
| High school | 1,139 (45.5%) | 221 (39.7%) | 1,360 (44.4%) | |
| Non-bachelor certificate | 611 (24.4%) | 90 (16.2%) | 701 (22.9%) | |
| Bachelor’s degree or above | 251 (10.0%) | 25 (4.5%) | 276 (9.0%) | |
| Currently working | 1,718 (68.6%) | 340 (61.2%) | 2,058 (67.3%) | 0.001 |
| Married currently/previously | 475 (19.0%) | 76 (13.7%) | 551 (18.0%) | 0.004 |
| Living with a child under 15 | 579 (23.1%) | 154 (27.7%) | 733 (24.0%) | 0.03 |
| Smoking allowed inside home | 179 (7.2%) | 41 (7.4%) | 220 (7.2%) | 0.93 |
| Vaping allowed inside home | 458 (18.3%) | 153 (27.5%) | 611 (20.0%) | < 0.001 |
| Physical health | 0.30 | |||
| Excellent | 598 (23.9%) | 116 (20.9%) | 714 (23.3%) | |
| Very good or good | 1,740 (69.5%) | 401 (72.1%) | 2,141 (70.0%) | |
| Fair or poor | 162 (6.5%) | 39 (7.0%) | 201 (6.6%) | |
| Mental health | 0.22 | |||
| Excellent | 670 (26.8%) | 148 (26.6%) | 818 (26.7%) | |
| Very good or good | 1,551 (62.0%) | 332 (59.7%) | 1,883 (61.6%) | |
| Fair or poor | 277 (11.1%) | 76 (13.7%) | 353 (11.5%) | |
| Last vaping involved nicotine | < 0.001 | |||
| Yes | 1,158 (46.3%) | 342 (61.5%) | 1,500 (49.0%) | |
| No | 940 (37.6%) | 182 (32.7%) | 1,122 (36.7%) | |
| Unsure | 405 (16.2%) | 32 (5.8%) | 437 (14.3%) | |
| Reasons of vaping | ||||
| Affordable | 223 (9.0%) | 109 (19.7%) | 332 (10.9%) | < 0.001 |
| Allowed at home | 318 (12.8%) | 144 (26.0%) | 462 (15.1%) | < 0.001 |
| Less harmful to oneself | 628 (25.3%) | 261 (47.2%) | 889 (29.1%) | < 0.001 |
| Less harmful to others | 633 (25.5%) | 256 (46.3%) | 889 (29.1%) | < 0.001 |
| Attraction to flavors | 786 (31.7%) | 327 (59.1%) | 1,113 (36.4%) | < 0.001 |
| Help to quit smoking | 510 (20.6%) | 202 (36.5%) | 712 (23.3%) | < 0.001 |
| Don’t smell | 333 (13.4%) | 146 (26.4%) | 479 (15.7%) | < 0.001 |
| Similar to smoking | 219 (8.8%) | 76 (13.7%) | 295 (9.6%) | 0.001 |
| Acceptable by non-smokers | 575 (23.2%) | 226 (40.9%) | 801 (26.2%) | < 0.001 |
| Curious | 1,995 (80.5%) | 359 (64.9%) | 2,354 (77.0%) | < 0.001 |
| Others | 262 (10.5%) | 82 (15.0%) | 345 (11.3%) | 0.003 |
| Usual place to get e-cigarettes | < 0.001 | |||
| Purchase by oneself | 628 (25.1%) | 246 (44.2%) | 874 (28.6%) | |
| Borrow/buy from friends/family | 1,839 (73.5%) | 307 (55.2%) | 2,146 (70.2%) | |
| Ever tried one of seven drugs | 829 (33.1%) | 189 (34.0%) | 1,018 (33.3%) | 0.73 |
| Recreational use of prescription medications | ||||
| Pain reliever | 105 (4.3%) | 35 (6.4%) | 140 (4.6%) | 0.04 |
| Sedatives | 320 (12.9%) | 79 (14.4%) | 399 (13.0%) | 0.40 |
| Stimulants | 35 (1.4%) | 21 (3.8%) | 56 (1.8%) | < 0.001 |
| Having smoked 100 cigarettes in lifetime | 902 (36.0%) | 186 (33.5%) | 1,088 (33.3%) | 0.27 |
| History of smoking, yr | ||||
| Mean ± SD | 4.1 ± 9.9 | 3.7 ± 9.1 | 4.0 ± 9.8 | 0.30 |
| Median (IQR) | 0 (3) | 0 (3) | 0 (3) | 0.02 |
| Type of cigarette smoker | < 0.001 | |||
| Never smoked | 1,496 (59.8%) | 299 (53.8%) | 1,795 (58.7%) | |
| Former smoker | 737 (29.4%) | 215 (38.7%) | 952 (31.1%) | |
| Current daily/occasional smoker | 270 (10.8%) | 42 (7.6%) | 312 (10.2%) | |
| Ever used other tobacco products | ||||
| Cigar or little cigar | 1,556 (62.2%) | 362 (65.1%) | 1,918 (62.7%) | 0.21 |
| Tobacco pipe | 304 (12.1%) | 82 (14.7%) | 386 (12.6%) | 0.11 |
| Water pipe | 778 (31.1%) | 185 (33.3%) | 963 (31.5%) | 0.34 |
| Chewing tobacco | 496 (19.8%) | 147 (26.4%) | 643 (21.0%) | 0.001 |
| Type of alcohol drinker | < 0.001 | |||
| Never/former drinker | 260 (10.4%) | 45 (8.1%) | 305 (10.0%) | |
| Current light drinker | 1,431 (57.2%) | 268 (48.2%) | 1,699 (55.5%) | |
| Current heavy drinker | 683 (27.3%) | 203 (36.5%) | 886 (29.0%) | |
| Type of cannabis user | < 0.001 | |||
| Never used cannabis | 585 (23.4%) | 131 (23.6%) | 716 (23.4%) | |
| Former user | 1,222 (48.8%) | 329 (59.2%) | 1,551 (50.7%) | |
| Current user | 673 (26.9%) | 89 (16.0%) | 762 (24.9%) | |
| Perceived vaping/smoking behaviours to have moderate/great health risk | ||||
| Occasional smoking | 1,382 (55.2%) | 297 (53.4%) | 1,679 (54.9%) | 0.49 |
| Regular smoking | 2,421 (96.7%) | 545 (98.2%) | 2,966 (97.0%) | 0.11 |
| Occasional vaping | 845 (33.8%) | 125 (22.5%) | 970 (31.7%) | < 0.001 |
| Regular vaping | 1,758 (70.2%) | 306 (55.0%) | 2,064 (67.5%) | < 0.001 |
| Smoking during pregnancy | 2,435 (97.3%) | 537 (96.6%) | 2,972 (97.2%) | 0.85 |
| Vaping during pregnancy | 2,119 (84.7%) | 434 (78.1%) | 2,553 (83.5%) | < 0.001 |
The seven drugs include cocaine, heroin, salvia, hallucinogen, ecstasy, solvent and methamphetamine; IQR: inter-quartile range; yr: year