The use of, and attitudes towards, electronic cigarettes and self-reported exposure to advertising and the product in general.

OBJECTIVE: Very few studies have investigated New Zealanders' use of, and attitudes towards, e-cigarettes, their exposure to e-cigarette advertising and their general exposure to this product. The current study aims to fill this information gap.
METHODS: Responses were gathered from a sample of adult smokers and recent quitters who took part in a fortnightly computer-assisted telephone interviewing survey. This paper reports on data collected in 2013 on the use of, and attitudes towards, e-cigarettes and exposure to advertising and the product in general. Responses were compared by socio-demographic status and recent quit attempts.
RESULTS: Between 23% and 39% of respondents reported having used e-cigarettes (with the highest level among those who had quit or tried to quit recently), and 8-16% had used e-cigarettes in the past two weeks. About one half reported seeing advertising of e-cigarettes in the past two weeks, 22-41% had seen people they knew using e-cigarettes and 10-15% had seen a stranger using them in the past two weeks. Attitudinal responses are reported in the main text.
CONCLUSIONS: The rate of ever-use suggested that smokers and recent quitters are receptive to e-cigarettes and that they were available to many of them to try. Exposure to e-cigarette advertising or the product in general was not uncommon. Future studies should continue monitor the use of e-cigarettes and investigate the impact of the exposure to people's attitudes towards the product and their subsequent use of e-cigarettes.