Vape Smoking: Prevalence and Perception among Damnhour University Students

Background: E-cigarette or vape smoking is becoming a worldwide concern, yet vaping
information is not widespread among Middle Eastern university students. The paper offers the pattern of
vape smoking in Damnhour University, Egypt, which uses classic tobacco smoking predominantly. Aim:
To assess the prevalence and perception of vape smoking among Damnhour University students. Design:
A cross-sectional descriptive research design was used. Subjects: Convenience sampling was applied
among 560 university students. Setting: The study was conducted at Damnhour University, Egypt. Tools:
An electronic questionnaire was used to measure participants' sociodemographic characteristics,
prevalence, perceptions, reasons, and vaping behavior. Results: The prevalence of vape smoking was
10.5%. The significant predictors were tobacco use (OR=13.85, p<0.001), smoking friends (OR=11.42,
p<0.001), household smoking status (OR=3.32, p<0.001), male gender (OR=2.76, p=0.001), and being an
Engineering faculty member (OR=1.95, p=0.042). 23.9% of the students had significant knowledge gaps.
Perceptions varied: 72.7% of them acknowledged vaping harms, but 37.5% viewed it as cheap.
Recreation and stress relief were moderately related to positive perceptions (r=0.54, p<0.001). Among the
participants, 57.6% of them used vaping in banned indoor places. Conclusion: The study shows a 10.5%
vaping prevalence among Damanhour University students in Egypt, with three-quarters of vapers using
traditional tobacco simultaneously. Major risk factors include tobacco use, smoking social networks, male
gender, and engineering faculty enrollment. Students demonstrate limited knowledge of vaping risks
while citing cost benefits and smoking restriction workarounds as primary motivations.
Recommendations: Vaping among Egyptian students is linked to varied social and behavioral
determinants. Targeted education, peer intervention, and enhanced enforcement of vaping rules are
needed. This research completes a geographical gap and recommends a public health policy.