Disciplines
Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Background: Electronic cigarettes, more commonly referred to as e-cigarettes, were initially designed as a less harmful alternative to traditional cigarette users. Although there are some benefits to transitioning to e-cigarettes, the benefits do not outweigh the health risks both cause to the cardiovascular and pulmonary system. Objective: This study was designed to better understand the consequences that traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes have on young adults' health. Method: Research was conducted using CINAHL, EBSCO, and PubMed. The commonly used phrases to find search results include “traditional versus e-cigarettes effects on cardiovascular system” and “traditional versus e-cigarettes effects on respiratory system.” Boolean operators used to refine the search results include “young adults” to narrow down results to the specific age category studied. Results: Twelve articles were chosen for this study ranging from various types of articles. For example, the articles appraised were systematic reviews, meta analyses, cross sectional studies, and randomized control studies. Overall, more research needs to be conducted to examine the long term effects associated with e-cigarettes as they are still fairly new. While e-cigarettes still cause negative effects on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, the available short-term data explains that they have slightly less negative effect on health compared to the traditional cigarettes. Conclusion: Findings were inconclusive and preliminary. More research is needed to unravel the complex health effects of e-cigarette smoking on long term health.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
WCHHS - Nursing
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Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Karen Armstrong
The effects of E-cigarettes versus Traditional Cigarettes on the Health of Young Adults
Background: Electronic cigarettes, more commonly referred to as e-cigarettes, were initially designed as a less harmful alternative to traditional cigarette users. Although there are some benefits to transitioning to e-cigarettes, the benefits do not outweigh the health risks both cause to the cardiovascular and pulmonary system. Objective: This study was designed to better understand the consequences that traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes have on young adults' health. Method: Research was conducted using CINAHL, EBSCO, and PubMed. The commonly used phrases to find search results include “traditional versus e-cigarettes effects on cardiovascular system” and “traditional versus e-cigarettes effects on respiratory system.” Boolean operators used to refine the search results include “young adults” to narrow down results to the specific age category studied. Results: Twelve articles were chosen for this study ranging from various types of articles. For example, the articles appraised were systematic reviews, meta analyses, cross sectional studies, and randomized control studies. Overall, more research needs to be conducted to examine the long term effects associated with e-cigarettes as they are still fairly new. While e-cigarettes still cause negative effects on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, the available short-term data explains that they have slightly less negative effect on health compared to the traditional cigarettes. Conclusion: Findings were inconclusive and preliminary. More research is needed to unravel the complex health effects of e-cigarette smoking on long term health.