The Relationship between Health Literacy and E-cigarette Use among University Students in Khon Kaen Province

Abstract

This descriptive research aimed to study the relationship between health literacy and e-cigarette smoking behavior among students in a higher education institution in Khon Kaen Province. The population in the study was 2,234 first- to fourth-year students. The sample size was 106 people, and Multi-stage random was used. Data were collected during December 2024 - January 2025 using the e-cigarette health literacy assessment form that applied Nutbeam's health literacy concept and the e-cigarette smoking behavior assessment form. The quality of the instruments was checked for content validity of 0.94 and 0.72, and the Cronbach alpha coefficient was 0.92 and 0.72, respectively. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and analyzed for correlation using Pearson's correlation coefficient. This study found that only the information access skill was negatively associated with e-cigarette use (r = -0.24, p = 0.02). These findings suggest the need to improve access to reliable information and consider broader environmental factors influencing behavior, It is also recommended that activities be implemented to help develop students’ creative communication skills related to e-cigarette issues.