Understanding Young Adults' E-cigarette Use through the Theory of Planned Behavior

Objective: The use of e-cigarettes among college undergraduates is a prevalent problem across the United States. Guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), we examined the relationship between memorable messages and early adulthood e-cigarette use. Methods: We recruited 159 students to complete a survey at Time 1 and 126 of those students completed the second survey. Results: Structural equation modeling demonstrated that attitudes and norms are significantly associated with intentions to use e-cigarettes, whereas efficacy is negatively associated with intentions to use. Intentions were positively associated with actual use of e-cigarettes at Time 2. Conclusions: Our findings contribute to understanding young adults' experiences with alternative tobacco products, and demonstrate a need to create health education and promotion campaigns based on TPB constructs.