Electronic Cigarette Usage Prevalence, Patterns, and Dependency among the General Population in Egypt

Back ground: In Egypt, the prevalence of electronic cigarette use has experienced notable growth and mirroring the global trend. This study aimed to explore electronic cigarette usage prevalence, patterns, and dependency among the general population in Egypt. Methods:  Convenient sample was used to involve 400 residents of Damanhur city, Beheira Governorate, Egypt; this cross-sectional study was used to achieve the aim of the study. Data collected through a validated questionnaire covering socio-demographic details, patterns of E cigarette use, knowledge, attitudes, and dependency levels, undergoes thorough validation and reliability testing. Results: The current study revealed that about fifth (18%) of the surveyed population in Egypt reported using electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes). nearly half of them (43.1%) reported using electronic cigarettes on a daily basis. More than the half of users (58.3%) reported using box kits, indicating a preference for advanced and customizable devices. The most commonly reported nicotine strength was in the medium range (13-20 mg/ml), with 56.9% of respondents choosing this option. Fruit-flavored electronic cigarettes were the most popular among respondents, with 56.9% selecting this option. Regarding the dependency more than the third of the users (38%) were dependent on E cigarette use. Age, sex, occupation and the attitude were significantly associated with the use of E cigarette. Conclusion: the prevalence of E cigarette use among Egyptian population was relatively high and associated with several factors as gender, age, occupation and the attitude. Also more than one third of the users were dependent on using it. Box kits and fruit flavoured electronic cigarette were most popular among the users. Recommendations: Develop and implement targeted public health education campaigns to increase awareness about the risks associated with electronic cigarette use.