Prevalence and knowledge of electronic cigarettes amongst medical students, A cross sectional survey from Karachi, Pakistan

Background: The manufacturers of e-cigarettes are actively marketing their product by using electronic and social media in developing country like Pakistan. However there is scarcity of data regarding prevalence and knowledge about e-cigarettes among medical students. Objective: To determine the prevalence and knowledge of e-cigarettes amongst medical students of Karachi, Pakistan Methods: A Cross sectional survey was conducted from 1st July till 30th September 2016 in five medical universities of Karachi, Pakistan. A self-administered questionnaire was used, a total of 500 medical students consented to participate in the study. Results: The mean age was 21.5 + 1.7 years and 58% were females. Out of 500, 39% were tobacco user included conventional cigarettes, shisha and smokeless tobacco. Over 65% had knowledge about e-cigarettes and majority were tobacco user (87.6%, p Conclusion: Although prevalence of e-cigarettes is low but most of the people who took on e-cigarettes ended up as a dual user rather than quitter.