Perceived risk and benefits of e-cigarette use among college students Amy L. Copeland ⁎, MacKenzie R. Peltier, Krystal Waldo Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, United States HIGHLIGHTS • E-cigarette use is growing in popularity among college students. • This study explores the perceived risks and benefits of e-cigs among this population. • The development of the Risks and Benefits of E-cigarettes (RABE), as a reliable measure is discussed. abstract article info Article history: Received 3 June 2016 Received in revised form 6 February 2017 Accepted 8 February 2017 Available online 17 February 2017 Recent data demonstrates that the use of e-cigarettes is growing, especially among college students and young adults. This trend is increasingly problematic, as many of these individuals report never using traditional tobacco cigarettes, but nevertheless are using e-cigarettes. The present study sought to develop the Risks and Benefits of E-cigarettes (RABE) questionnaire to assess the perceptions about e-cigarette use among college students. Col- lege students (N = 734) completed the RABE via online survey. Principal components analysis yielded two reli- able scales representing perceptions about e-cigarette use. Based on the two-factor solution, subscales were named according to item content. The resulting 30 items demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Risks scale α = 0.92; Benefits scale α = 0.89). Subsequent confirmatory factor analysis generally supported the 2-fac- tor structure. As an initial measure of construct validity, scale scores were compared across smoking status groups. Smoking status groups were defined by the following: “e-cigarette users” were current daily users of e-cigarettes, “conventional smokers” were daily traditional cigarette users, and “dual users” were individuals who used both e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes daily. Scale scores for perceived Benefits of e-cigarette use differed significantly across groups (p b 0.001), whereby students who reported using e-cigarettes or tradi- tional cigarettes reported benefits associated with e-cigarette use. Scale scores for perceived Risks of e-cigarette use across smoking status groups did not significantly differ. The present results indicate that the RABE is a reli- able instrument to measure college student's perceived risks and benefits of e-cigarettes. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: E-cigarette College students Perceptions 1. Introduction Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States. In 2010, the Surgeon General reported that N 440.000 people die annually from smoking-related deaths (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2012a; United States Department of Health & Human Services [USDHHS], 2010). Given the high rates of smoking-related deaths, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have been promoted as an aid to smoking cessation and research demonstrates that many adult who endorse e-cigarette use are utilizing the devices to quit smoking (Goniewicz, Lingas, & Hajek, 2012). These devices, also known as hookah pens, e-hookahs, or vape pipes, are battery-powered, nicotine delivery systems in which nicotine and flavors are heated to form an aerosol that is in- haled. This form of nicotine inhalation is also referred to as “vaping.” e-cigarettes may be disposable, rechargeable (e.g., lithium batteries), or refillable (i.e., liquid cartridges; Grana, Benowitz, & Glantz, 2013; Grana, Benowitz, & Glantz, 2014). Although e-cigarettes have been shown to reduce craving and nicotine withdrawal symptoms, their efficacy as a long-term aid to smoking cessation has yet to be determined (Schaller et al., 2013). Research to date has failed to support the role of e- cigarettes as an effective cessation tool. For example, Grana et al. (2014) found that e-cigarette use by smokers was not associated with reduction or cessation rates in regular smoking one year later (Grana et al., 2014). This is disappointing given that 85% of adult e-cigarette users report explicitly using e-cigarettes to quit smoking (Grana et al., 2013; Grana et al., 2014). Recent data indicate that while rates of daily cigarette smoking among youths and young adults (including college students) are declin- ing, e-cigarette use is growing in popularity among these populations Addictive Behaviors 71 (2017) 31–37 ⁎ Corresponding author at: 236 Audubon Hall, Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, United States. E-mail address: copelan@lsu.edu (A.L. Copeland). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.02.005 0306-4603/© 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Addictive Behaviors journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/addictbeh