The tobacco/nicotine continuum of risk – e-cigarette harm perceptions and communication considerations

Several studies have documented that e-cigarettes are frequently perceived as being as harmful as or even more harmful than combusted cigarettes. Following this, there is a growing recognition in the US about the need to better inform the public about the relative risks of e-cigarettes versus cigarettes, particularly for adults who smoke cigarettes who may benefit from switching to e-cigarettes for harm reduction purposes. However, less is known about effective ways to communicate such relative risks. Dr. Wackowski will provide and discuss a snapshot of recent studies testing e-cigarette relative risk communications, and discuss considerations related to message source and product perceptions relevant for targeting and measuring.