Uso e percepção de adolescentes e adultos jovens acerca dos dispositivos eletrônicos para fumar: revisão integrativa

Abstract

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDs) have become increasingly popular among people who consume tobacco (smokers), especially teenagers and young adults, which highlights the importance of investigating and understanding this phenomenon to measure its use in this age group, exploring the health risk perception among consumers. A bibliographic study, as integrative literature review type, was carried out to answer the research question: according to scientific evidence, what is the estimated use and perception of health-related risk among adolescents and young adults regarding the use of ENDs? At the end of the searches, 5,737 references were retrieved and 46 scientific studies were suitable for the scope. It was observed that, in general terms, experimentation with DEFs is often more common than their continued use. In samples of adolescents and young adults (combined), lifetime experimentation with ENDs was estimated to be between 5.4-13.1% and continued use between 2.3-18.3%. In samples of young adults, the Continuous use of ENDs was estimated at between 6.6-20.6%, although there are reports of interruptions and resumptions of consumption over time. In this subgroup, there is no direct evidence about lifelong experimentation among the scientific studies included. In adolescents, experimentation with ENDs was estimated at 3.2-62.1% and continued use at 0.5-52%. Adolescents and young adults often recognized the health risks/damages associated with smoking, but the perception that ENDs are not harmful to health or that they pose fewer risks/harms compared to conventional cigarettes was also frequently observed.