Vaping and E-Cigarettes: An Emergency Department Survey.
5 affiliations
- 1Department of Emergency Medicine, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
- 2Department of Emergency Medicine, St George Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
- 3University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
- 4Department of Emergency Medicine, St Vincents Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
- 5Department of Emergency Medicine, Sutherland Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Abstract
Objective
To characterise vaping practices and perceptions in a non-consecutive cohort across four Sydney Emergency Departments (EDs) prior to 2024 Australian legislative changes restricting disposable vapes.Methods
An anonymous digital survey of up to 40 questions was conducted from May 2023 to January 2024 in patients and visitors aged > 14 years. It assessed demographics, vaping and smoking practices, perceived addiction, side effects and attitudes. Participants were recruited via posters and distribution of linked QR codes.Results
Of 1263 surveys initiated, 1049 (83.1%) were completed. Among respondents who answered the vaping-status question 51.1% (614/1202) reported ever vaping with 34.4% (211/614) vaping daily. Respondents were more often able to report the puff count and duration of their most recently purchased device (> 85%) than puffs per day or sessions per day (≈60%). Disposable vapes and fruit/candy flavours were most reportedly used. Addiction and anxiety relief were frequently selected reasons for vaping, and daily vapers reported higher perceived addiction scores. Symptoms occurring during or shortly after vaping were commonly reported, most frequently cough (174/308, 56.5%), breathlessness (165/308, 53.6%) and chest pain (98/308, 31.8%). Daily vapers more commonly perceived vaping as safer than cigarettes (101/198, 51.0% vs. 88/568, 15.5% in never vapers) and as an effective smoking cessation aid (105/197, 53.3% vs. 83/571, 14.5%).Conclusion
In this multicentre, non-consecutive survey, vaping was commonly reported, particularly among younger respondents, with frequent daily use and perceived addiction. These findings highlight the importance of asking about vaping and awareness of patterns of use, perceived addiction and reported symptoms.
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BibTeX
@article{lycett2026vaping,
title = {{Vaping and E-Cigarettes: An Emergency Department Survey.}},
author = {Christopher Lycett and Bhashita Jagarlamudi and Allison Moore and Sanjeet Minhas and Nancy Briggs and Angela Chiew},
journal = {Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1111/1742-6723.70367},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42958694},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Vaping and E-Cigarettes: An Emergency Department Survey.
AU - Christopher Lycett
AU - Bhashita Jagarlamudi
AU - Allison Moore
AU - Sanjeet Minhas
AU - Nancy Briggs
AU - Angela Chiew
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/29
JO - Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA
DO - 10.1111/1742-6723.70367
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42958694
AB - Objective To characterise vaping practices and perceptions in a non-consecutive cohort across four Sydney Emergency Departments (EDs) prior to 2024 Australian legislative changes restricting disposable vapes.Methods An anonymous digital survey of up to 40 questions was conducted from May 2023 to January 2024 in patients and visitors aged > 14 years. It assessed demographics, vaping and smoking practices, perceived addiction, side effects and attitudes. Participants were recruited via posters and distribution of linked QR codes.Results Of 1263 surveys initiated, 1049 (83.1%) were completed. Among respondents who answered the vaping-status question 51.1% (614/1202) reported ever vaping with 34.4% (211/614) vaping daily. Respondents were more often able to report the puff count and duration of their most recently purchased device (> 85%) than puffs per day or sessions per day (≈60%). Disposable vapes and fruit/candy flavours were most reportedly used. Addiction and anxiety relief were frequently selected reasons for vaping, and daily vapers reported higher perceived addiction scores. Symptoms occurring during or shortly after vaping were commonly reported, most frequently cough (174/308, 56.5%), breathlessness (165/308, 53.6%) and chest pain (98/308, 31.8%). Daily vapers more commonly perceived vaping as safer than cigarettes (101/198, 51.0% vs. 88/568, 15.5% in never vapers) and as an effective smoking cessation aid (105/197, 53.3% vs. 83/571, 14.5%).Conclusion In this multicentre, non-consecutive survey, vaping was commonly reported, particularly among younger respondents, with frequent daily use and perceived addiction. These findings highlight the importance of asking about vaping and awareness of patterns of use, perceived addiction and reported symptoms.
SN - 1742-6731
SN - 1742-6723
ER -