Long-term Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Use Behavior and Risk Perceptions of College Student E-cigarette Users

Work examining the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on e-cigarette use among college students is limited. Therefore, the current study examined differences in college student e-cigarette users' changes in use behavior and risk perceptions as the pandemic continues. 129 undergraduate current e-cigarette users ( = 19.68,  = 1.85; 72.1% female; 85.3% White). Participants completed an online survey between October 2020 and April 2021. In terms of changes in frequency of e-cigarette use, 30.5% of participants increased their use and 23.4% decreased their use. Greater e-cigarette dependence and anxiety were associated with increased use. Nearly half of e-cigarette users reported increased motivation to quit, and 32.5% had made at least one quit attempt. A substantial number of students increased their e-cigarette use as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cessation efforts targeting increased anxiety and dependence may be useful in this population.