Predictors of E-Cigarette Use Susceptibility—A Study of Young People from a Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Rural Area in Poland

Identification of the youth at risk of e-cigarette use is crucial for development of effective prevention strategies. The current study aims at evaluation of predictors of susceptibility to e-cigarette initiation and experimentation among adolescents. This cross-sectional study included 1693 students (non-current users of e-cigarettes) attending 21 schools in Piotrkowski district (a socially disadvantaged rural area in central Poland). The regression models were applied so as to study factors linked to susceptibility to e-cigarette use among never users (n = 1054) and ever users (n = 639) of e-cigarettes, with susceptibility defined as the absence of a firm decision not to use these products. A high proportion of the youth was susceptible to e-cigarette use (68% of never and 78% of ever e-cigarette users). The adjusted model confirmed the following risk factors: smoking parents and friends (never users: OR = 3.0: p &lt: 0.001: OR = 2.0: p &lt: 0.05: ever users: OR = 2.2: OR = 2.2: p &lt: 0.01), alcohol consumption (never users: moderate drinking OR = 2.9: p &lt: 0.001: binge drinking OR = 2.2: p &lt: 0.01: ever users: moderate drinking OR = 4.2: p &lt: 0.001), cigarette smoking (never users: OR = 14.1: ever users: OR = 11.3: p &lt: 0.001), and perception that e-cigarettes are less harmful than traditional cigarettes (never users: OR = 1.8: p &lt: 0.001). The youth whose mothers had a medium and high educational level (never users: OR = 2.7: p &lt: 0.01: OR = 2.7: p &lt: 0.05: ever users: OR = 5.4: OR = 4.4: p &lt: 0.001), those who perceived girls who use e-cigarettes as more attractive (never users: OR = 4.1: p &lt: 0.001: ever users: OR = 2.9: p &lt: 0.01), and secondary school students (ever users: OR = 5.6: p &lt: 0.001) had higher odds of susceptibility to e-cigarette use. The youth who had more money per month were less susceptible to e-cigarette experimentation (OR = 0.4: p &lt: 0.001). A multi-level intervention approach, considering vulnerable populations, is required to prevent the youth from e-cigarette initiation and experimentation.