E-Cigarette Perceptions Among Adults with Recent Myocardial Infarction or Heart Failure Diagnosis: Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study, 2022-2023.

Abstract

Background: Smoking cessation is recommended for individuals with cardiovascular disease (CVD), but cigarette users with myocardial infarction (MI) or heart failure (HF) have difficulty in quitting smoking. The prevalence of e-cigarette use among individuals with MI or HF in recent years is unknown.

Methods: We analyzed nationally representative data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study (Wave 7) to assess prevalence of e-cigarette use, perceptions of harm from e-cigarettes, and interest in switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes among individuals with a recent MI or HF diagnosis.

Results: Among US adults with a MI or HF diagnosis in the previous year, 22.0% reported cigarette use only, 0.9% reported e-cigarette use only, and 2.7% reported dual cigarette and e-cigarette use. Of cigarette users, only 4.5% reported an interest in switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes. More than two-thirds (70.2%) of participants perceived e-cigarettes as very or extremely harmful.

Conclusions: Cigarette users with a recent MI or HF diagnosis reported low interest in switching to e-cigarettes. The low interest, with the concerns about the harmful effects of e-cigarettes, suggests that switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes may not be an acceptable strategy to reduce the risk of cigarette smoking in this population.