Effect of Electronic Cigarettes on Mental and Physical Health Conditions

Effect of Electronic Cigarettes on Mental and Physical Health Conditions

Abstract

There exists adequate evidence on the adverse effects of cigarette smoking on the overall health of individuals. These got backed by the research evidence in a variety of scientific databases. With the increased popularity of vaping, it is essential to examine its impact on the mental and physical health of individuals. The purpose of this review, therefore, is exploring the peer-reviewed articles to evaluate the psychological and physical effects of e-cigarettes, one form of vapers. Knowledge concerning the health effects of e-cigarettes usage is generally limited.

Relevant articles making a total of five were reviewed. A report by Dinkeloo, Grier, Brooks & Jones (2020) utilized a cohort study method in accessing the influence of vaping on the physical fitness of active young men. A cross-sectional survey was adopted to obtain the perception of the health effects of e-cigarettes among users and compared them to the dual users (Abafalvi, Pénzes, Urbán, et al., 2019). Another study utilized the same method to evaluate e-cigarette usage among individuals with mental health (Cummins, Zhu, Tedeschi, Gamst & Myers, 2014). Zhuang, Cummins, Sun, & Zhu, the authors of a longitudinal study aimed to investigate a long-term impact on the use of e-cigarettes on smoke cessation in the U.S. (2016). The fifth article was concerned about examining the level of physical activity among the e-cigarette users and smokers among a sample of Canadian youth (Milicic, Piérard, DeCicca & Leatherdale, 2019).

The ENDS users had a more significant mean difference of + 19 seconds on the two-mile run, -2.41 push-ups, and -0.57 sit-ups than the smokers. Individuals using tobacco cigarettes averaged a lower level of fitness than those using the e-cigarettes. Overall, never users recorded the highest average level of fitness. Dual users (17.6%) were significantly more likely to report AEs of vaping than e-cigarette-only users (26.2% vs. 11.8%, p < 0.001). Health improvement perceptions got significant in e-cigarette-only use than among the dual users. An increased tendency of using e-cigarettes among individuals with mental health conditions of more than 11.7% than those without mental illnesses. Long-term e-cigarette users had a higher quit attempt rate than short-term or non-users (72.6% vs. 53.8% and 45.5%, respectively), and a higher cessation rate (42.4% vs. 14.2% and 15.6%, respectively). Users of e-cigarettes had an increased likelihood of participating in competitive and team sport compared to non-users.

Introduction

Vaping or the reliance on ENDS to aerosolize electronic liquids is now a common practice among the substance users, commonly among smokers. E-cigarettes are among the products that have seen their use gain popularity due to their preference among smokers. There has been an upward trend in awareness, increased use, and the current use of ENDS. Nonetheless, there has been an increased number of studies and experimentation with e-cigarettes in the European Union.

According to King, Patel, Nguyen & Dube (2015), there was an increase of 12.1% of the U.S. adults who have ever vaped from 2010 to 2016. Notably, statistics have revealed that most of the vaping population constitutes the school-aged and the adolescents; an observation is considered a public health concern. Another study by Schoenborn & Clarke (2017) demonstrated that approximately23.5% of adults above 18 and below 24 years have ever vaped, while 4.2% among them currently use them. The study further approximates that the younger population is vaping at a higher rate than smoking combustible cigarettes. Still, the Food and Drug Administration has not yet approved the use of e-cigarettes for dual-use, a purpose intended for smoking cessation.

There exist a conundrum and controversy involving the potential benefits and harm of e-cigarettes (Drope, Cahn, Kennedy, et al., 2017). E-cigarette smoking has sparked debates with its advocates claiming their reduced risks on health, and further recommending them to dual users. However, opponents hold on their opinions on the impending long-term effects of using e-cigarettes, including tobacco addiction. Also, there is an overall uncertainty of their impacts on pollution and public health. The purpose of this study, therefore, is conducting an in-depth search of peer-reviewed or scholarly relevant articles in databases which outline the impacts of e-cigarettes on the physical and mental health statuses of individuals who use them. Reviewing of literature is essential in collecting reliable research evidence in closing the existing gaps of knowledge on the impact of vaping, particularly the use of e-cigarettes.

Methodology

The selection of the peer-reviewed articles for the study was conducted stepwise. It began by considering the topic under review then keying in of relevant keywords such as ‘electronic cigarettes,’ ‘Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDs),’ ‘cigarette smoking,’ and ‘Physical and mental effects,’ ‘vaping,’ ‘smoking,’ and ‘tobacco smoking or use.’ The search availed many articles for selection. Some of the databases for the search were the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, PubMed, Springer Link, BMC Public Health, BMJ Quality & Safety, Academic Medicine, and Department of Family Medicine.

As a requirement for the inclusion criteria, the next step involved opening the articles for detail, confirming if they were scholarly and peer-reviewed. Items excluded were those published more than five years ago, and the most current published between 2014 and 2020 got included. Also, the details contained in them were confirmed to be relevant to the issue of the impact of e-cigarettes on individuals’ health. As per the eligibility criteria, the selected articles indicated an association between smoking tobacco and the use of e-cigarettes, and they provided the odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals.

Table

Discussion

This article presents findings from the selected materials to synthesize summary estimates on the mental and physical impact of e-cigarette use. Overall, the results based on the analysis indicated that the use of e-cigarettes averages a lower physical fitness level than the never users. Comparatively, there are perceived short-term benefits in physiological functions and fewer adverse effects among e-cigarette smokers than among the dual users.

According to a study by Dinkeloo et al. (2020), the results indicated that the U.S. Army Soldiers using e-cigarettes and those smoking averagely had a lower level of fitness compared to the never users of cigarette. Further sub-group analysis added an observation that even e-cigarette smokers, however physically fit they were compared to smokers, their fitness levels were significantly low than the never users. These results were echoed by research by Abafalvi et al., on the perceived health effects of vaping among e-cigarette-only and dual Hungarian adult users. 26% of dual users reported significant adverse effects of vaping compared to only 11.8% of the e-cigarette only users (2019). Results of another study indicated that long-term e-cigarette use impacted a higher rate of quitting cigarette smoking than short-term use (Zhuang et al., 2016). Results from a study examining physical activity levels among the youth using e-cigarette suggest tan the vapers were more likely to engage in physical activity than the cigarette smokers (Milicic et al., 2019).

Again, individuals with mental health conditions were more likely to use e-cigarettes and constitute the current users than those without mental health issues (14% and 6.6%, respectively). Smokers with psychiatric conditions are more often tend to use e-cigarettes than smokers without mental illnesses (Cummins et al., 2014). The results in this study are consistent with the conclusion that smokers have increasingly preferred e-cigarettes or vaping as an effort to quit smoking. Because the safety and cessation properties of e-cigarette use are inconsistent and reliable, additional public health research is worth advocating to attest to their long-term safety, and smoking cessation is required.

Conclusion

Conclusively, the analysis study illustrates that e-cigarette smoking still possesses negative impacts on individuals’ health statuses, including deterioration of mental conditions compared to never users. Additionally, there are perceived short-term benefits of e-cigarettes than conventional cigarette smoking on the physiological function. E-cigarette use tends to increase the physical activity of their users compared to cigarette smokers. Again, people with mental health conditions were highly likely to use vapers than those without mental health issues. Based on the uncertainty of the perceived long-term health effects of e-cigarettes, more research ought to be conducted to probe the positive and negative short and long-lasting results. Additionally, although e-cigarette use may be less harmful to cigarette smoking, clinical research should focus on preventive health strategies to eliminate their negative health impacts. Since most of the studies conducted concerning the issue are cross-sectional, longitudinal researchers are required for more evidence on the health issue.

References

Abafalvi, L., Pénzes, M., Urbán, R., Foley, K. L., Kaán, R., Kispélyi, B., & Hermann, P. (2019). Perceived health effects of vaping among Hungarian adult e-cigarette-only and dual users: a cross-sectional internet survey. BMC public health, 19(1), 302.

Cummins, S. E., Zhu, S. H., Tedeschi, G. J., Gamst, A. C., & Myers, M. G. (2014). Use of e-cigarettes by individuals with mental health conditions. Tobacco Control, 23(suppl 3), iii48-iii53.

Dinkeloo, E., Grier, T. L., Brooks, R. D., & Jones, B. H. (2020). Vaping, Smoking, and the Physical Fitness of Active Young Men. American journal of preventive medicine, 58(1), e31-e37.

Drope, J., Cahn, Z., Kennedy, R., Liber, A. C., Stoklosa, M., Henson, R., … & Drope, J. (2017). Key issues surrounding the health impacts of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and other sources of nicotine. CA: a cancer journal for clinicians, 67(6), 449-471.

King, B. A., Patel, R., Nguyen, K. H., & Dube, S. R. (2015). Trends in awareness and use of electronic cigarettes among US adults, 2010–2013. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 17(2), 219-227.

Milicic, S., Piérard, E., DeCicca, P., & Leatherdale, S. T. (2019). Examining the association between physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sport participation with e-cigarette use and smoking status in a large sample of Canadian youth. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 21(3), 285-292.

Schoenborn, C. A., & Clarke, T. C. (2017). QuickStats: Percentage of adults who ever used an e-cigarette and percentage who currently use e-cigarettes, by age group-national health interview survey, United States, 2016 (vol 66, pg 892, 2016). MMWR-MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY WEEKLY REPORT, 66(44), 1238-1238.

Zhuang, Y. L., Cummins, S. E., Sun, J. Y., & Zhu, S. H. (2016). Long-term e-cigarette use and smoking cessation: a longitudinal study with the US population. Tobacco Control, 25(Suppl 1), i90-i95.