In June 2021, researchers surveyed 507 e-cigarette users between ages 18-34 who tried to quit vaping in the past year. They asked e-cigarette users if they had heard claims that nicotine can help cure or reduce the severity of COVID-19, or that medical professionals used nicotine gum or patches to protect themselves from the respiratory illness. Researchers also asked e-cigarette users if they believed these claims, as well as claims about vapers having lower chances of contracting COVID-19 or suffering from severe complications compared to non-vapers.
Findings show that nicotine misinformation is rampant: nearly one in three e-cigarette users reported recalling or believing at least one false claim that either nicotine or e-cigarettes could protect them from COVID-19, and nearly one in five believed that either nicotine or e-cigarette use was a positive health behavior during the pandemic.
The study builds on recent Truth Initiative research findings that many young adults aren’t aware of the dangers of nicotine, and that the spread of misleading claims about nicotine, especially regarding COVID-19, is tied to holding more positive beliefs in the tobacco industry. Health misinformation can ultimately undermine public health and regulatory efforts to curb youth nicotine use.