E-Cigarette Use in Air Transit: Self-Reported Data from US Flight Attendants

Details

• Personal Author:
  Navas-Acien A ; Soong A ; Stillman FA ; Zheng LY
• Description:
  Introduction: The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) in air transit, and to understand potential problems created by this practice for flight crew and patrons. Safety concerns around the long-term effects of e-cigarette use and passive inhalation in enclosed spaces are being studied, yet e-cigarettes are increasingly being used in smoke-free places. No studies have examined the issues of e-cigarette use in air transit. Methods: In 2012, we surveyed 723 flight attendants for a study on secondhand smoke and air quality in the work environment. Participants were recruited through a flight attendant union and advertisement in social media groups for flight attendants. Based on discussions with flight attendants and key informants, it was determined that eligible participants had to service a minimum of two international flights per month for at least 1 year in their current position. The study focused on US carriers but participation was open to all English-speaking flight attendants. Participants were asked "Do you use e-cigarettes? (yes or no)". Next they were asked whether they ever observed anyone using an e-cigarette in an airport or aeroplane (yes or no), and if yes, an open-ended response obtained further details on their observations of e-cigarette use. All open responses were coded using Stata to assign categories for location of observation (aeroplane, airport, other) and person observed (passenger, flight attendant, crew) and were then validated by hand to confirm that the coding system was accurate. Other information collected in the survey included demographics, smoking status and attitudes toward smoke-free policies. Results: Among responses to the e-cigarette questions, 92.4% of respondents worked for a US-based carrier, 82.4% of which were a major US carrier. A total of 39 (6.8%) responded that they used e-cigarettes (table 1). After adjustment for age and gender, the OR for e-cigarette use was 13.6 (95% CI 6.3 to 29.3) comparing current smokers to never smokers. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aircraft Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Aircrews Airline Safety Air Transportation E-cigarettes Electronic Cigarettes Secondhand Smoke
• ISSN:
  0964-4563
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; OSHA Region 3
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  417-418
• Volume:
  24
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20053900
• Citation:
  Tob Control 2015 Jul; 24(4):417-418
• Contact Point Address:
  Dr Frances A Stillman, Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Institute for Global Tobacco, 2213 McElderry Street, 4th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
• Email:
  fstillm1@jhu.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• Performing Organization:
  Johns Hopkins University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Tobacco Control
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d63a1acd02164d040f732bc95899792257ec925e90ba69a0657d77a4053f838888be1127bf9eadf6b09d47cfd5e39d323aa55b8127105489b595169d79e273dd
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/216574/cdc_216574_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 240.94 KB ]