Health literacy and e-cigarette use among university students in upper northern Thailand
Keywords:
Health literacy, Electronic Cigarettes, E-cigarette use, University studentsAbstract
E-cigarette use is a significant public health issue in Thailand, thus studies on e-cigarette health literacy among university students is essential. This descriptive correlational research aimed to study e-cigarette health literacy, e-cigarette use behavior, and the relationship between e-cigarette health literacy and e-cigarette use among university students in the upper northern region. The sample of 414 first- to fourth-year undergraduate students was selected using stratified random sampling. The research instruments included an E-cigarette Health Literacy Questionnaire and an E-cigarette Usage Behavior Questionnaire. A Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the E-cigarette Health Literacy Questionnaire was 78. Data were collected from August to September 2024 and analyzed using descriptive statistics and Point Biserial correlation coefficients. The study results revealed that 17.88% of the sample used e-cigarettes. Most participants (69.32%) reported a high level of e-cigarette health literacy ( =78.56, SD=8.15). In addition, overall e-cigarette health literacy was significantly and negatively correlated with e-cigarette use at a moderate level (rpb =-.437, p<.001). Therefore, it is recommended that e-cigarette health literacy be promoted in university students through designing learning activities or materials that emphasize decision-making skills. This will enable students to think critically and make decisions to solve problems, ultimately enhancing their better quality of life.
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