Gender Differences In Reasons For Using Electronic Cigarettes And Product Characteristics: Findings From The 2018 Itc Four Country Smoking And Vaping Survey

Introduction: Little is known about why males are more likely to use electronic cigarettes (ECs) compared with females. This study examined gender differences in reasons for vaping and characteristics of EC used (device type, device capacity, e-liquid nicotine strength, and flavor).Methods: Data were obtained from 3938 current (>= 18 years) at-least-weekly EC users who participated in Wave 2 (2018) ITC Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey in Canada, the United States, England, and Australia.Results: Of the sample, 54% were male. The most commonly cited reasons for vaping in females were "less harmful to others" (85.8%) and in males were "less harmful than cigarettes" (85.5%), with females being more likely to cite "less harmful to others" (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.64, p = .001) and "help cut down on cigarettes" (aOR = 1.60, p = .001) than males. Significant gender differences were found in EC device type used (chi(2) = 35.05, p = .043). Females were less likely to report using e-liquids containing >20 mg/mL of nicotine, and tank devices with >2 mL capacity (aOR = 0.41, p < .001 and aOR = 0.65, p = .026, respectively) than males. There was no significant gender difference in use of flavored e-liquids, with fruit being the most common flavor for both males (54.5%) and females (50.2%).Conclusion: There were some gender differences in reasons for vaping and characteristics of the product used. Monitoring of gender differences in patterns of EC use would be useful to inform outreach activities and interventions for EC use.