Intentions and Attempts to Quit JUUL E-Cigarette Use: The Role of Perceived Harm and Addiction

IntroductionResearch on electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) quit intentions andattempts is limited despite the potential health benefits of quitting,especially for long-term users. The current study aimed to investigateperceptions of harm and addictiveness and tobacco use characteristicsassociated with quit variables among users of a populare-cigarette brand, JUUL.MethodsWe surveyed 301 US adult JUUL users on their tobacco use characteristics,perceptions of JUUL harm and addictiveness, and quitvariables at 3 time points, from July 2019 to April 2020. We usedlogistic regression models to assess demographic characteristics,smoking characteristics, and perceptions of JUUL harm and addictivenessas correlates of e-cigarette quit intentions, attempts,importance, and confidence.ResultsTwenty-three percent of the sample had intentions to quit usingJUUL within the year, and 22.6% reported making a lifetime quitattempt. The average rating of quit importance was 4.1 and quitconfidence was 5.8 on a Likert scale of 1 to 10. More than 90% ofthe sample indicated that JUUL was at least moderately addictive,whereas less than one-quarter indicated that JUUL was as harmfulor more harmful than smoking. Higher levels of perceived JUULaddictiveness were associated with more quit intentions, attempts,and importance. Higher levels of perceived JUUL harm comparedwith smoking were associated with more quit importance.ConclusionOur findings suggest that a small proportion of adult JUUL usersare interested in quitting. Self-reported perceptions of JUUL’s addictionpotential may be related to more quit attempts. Findingshighlight the need for evidence-based information on e-cigaretteaddictiveness and effective strategies for cessation.