{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,24]],"date-time":"2026-09-24T06:04:43Z","timestamp":1790229883692,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":19,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,24]],"date-time":"2026-09-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790208000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    E-cigarette use has risen among young adults, and the attitudes, beliefs, and dependence of future physicians are relevant both to their own health and to their prospective role in patient counselling. This cross-sectional study assessed e-cigarette-related attitudes and beliefs, dependence among current users, and their correlates among medical students at the \u0130n\u00f6n\u00fc University Faculty of Medicine (Malatya, T\u00fcrkiye) during 2025\u20132026. Using term-stratified random sampling, 366 students were analysed. The 18-item E-cigarette Attitude and Belief Scale in Adolescents (ECABA) was administered to all participants and the 22-item E-cigarette Dependence Scale (EDS-22) to current users. Data were analysed with non-parametric tests, Spearman correlation, and multivariable logistic regression. Ever and current e-cigarette use were 32.8 and 17.5%, respectively. ECABA scores increased significantly across non-users, occasional users, and regular users (medians 33, 39, and 48;\n                    <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u202f&amp;lt;\u202f0.001). Male sex [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.45, 95% CI 1.27\u20134.75] and a higher ECABA score (aOR 2.72 per 10 points, 95% CI 2.08\u20133.54) independently predicted current use, whereas age, cigarette smoking, and household smoking did not. Among current users, ECABA correlated with EDS-22 dependence (\n                    <jats:italic>r<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u202f=\u202f0.561,\n                    <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u202f&amp;lt;\u202f0.001). Pro\u2013e-cigarette attitudes and beliefs were thus the strongest correlate of both use and dependence among medical students. Because these attitudes are modifiable, integrating structured, e-cigarette-specific education into medical curricula\u2014particularly in the preclinical years\u2014may help shape healthier attitudes in future physicians and strengthen their future role in tobacco counselling.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1934215","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,24]],"date-time":"2026-09-24T05:44:39Z","timestamp":1790228679000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Attitudes, beliefs, and dependence related to electronic cigarettes among medical students at an eastern Anatolian university: a cross-sectional study"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"H\u00fclya","family":"Do\u011fan Tiryaki","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziantep University","place":["Gaziantep, T\u00fcrkiye"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sinem","family":"\u00c7etinkaya","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, \u0130n\u00f6n\u00fc University","place":["Malatya, T\u00fcrkiye"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Melek","family":"Bilikli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, \u0130n\u00f6n\u00fc University","place":["Malatya, T\u00fcrkiye"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kevser","family":"Erdo\u011fan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, Antalya Training and Research Hospital","place":["Antalya, T\u00fcrkiye"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Osman","family":"Kurt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, \u0130n\u00f6n\u00fc University","place":["Malatya, T\u00fcrkiye"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/tc-2024-059219","article-title":"Vaping and harm in young people: an umbrella review","author":"Golder","year":"2025","journal-title":"Tob Control"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0332160","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0332160","article-title":"Global prevalence of e-cigarette use among students: systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"20","author":"Gebeyehu","year":"2025","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"127","DOI":"10.5152\/eurasianjmed.2022.20168","article-title":"Use of e-cigarettes and tobacco products among youth in Turkey","volume":"54","author":"Kurtulu\u015f","year":"2022","journal-title":"Eurasian J Med"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1403737","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2024.1403737","article-title":"Electronic cigarette use and consumption patterns in medical university students","volume":"12","author":"Dilekta\u015fli","year":"2024","journal-title":"Front Public Health"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"743","DOI":"10.1111\/add.15246","article-title":"Gateway or common liability? A systematic review and meta-analysis of adolescent e-cigarette use and future smoking initiation","volume":"116","author":"Chan","year":"2021","journal-title":"Addiction"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1090-1111","DOI":"10.1111\/add.16773","article-title":"Electronic cigarettes and subsequent cigarette smoking in young people: a systematic review","volume":"120","author":"Begh","year":"2025","journal-title":"Addiction"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"932","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMsa1405092","article-title":"A molecular basis for nicotine as a gateway drug","volume":"371","author":"Kandel","year":"2014","journal-title":"N Engl J Med"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1801","DOI":"10.1111\/add.12659","article-title":"Electronic cigarettes: review of use, content, safety, effects on smokers and potential for harm and benefit","volume":"109","author":"Hajek","year":"2014","journal-title":"Addiction"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"179","DOI":"10.1016\/0749-5978(91)90020-T","article-title":"The theory of planned behavior","volume":"50","author":"Ajzen","year":"1991","journal-title":"Organ Behav Hum Decis Process"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"328","DOI":"10.1177\/109019817400200403","article-title":"Historical origins of the health belief model","volume":"2","author":"Rosenstock","year":"1974","journal-title":"Health Educ Monogr"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"682355","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2021.682355","article-title":"Prevalence, risk factors, harm perception, and attitudes toward e-cigarette use among university students in Qatar: a cross-sectional study","volume":"9","author":"Kurdi","year":"2021","journal-title":"Front Public 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cigarette use among adults in 14 countries: a cross-sectional study","volume":"47","author":"Pan","year":"2022","journal-title":"EClinicalMedicine"},{"key":"ref19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"215","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-publhealth-040617-013757","article-title":"E-cigarettes: use, effects on smoking, risks, and policy implications","volume":"39","author":"Glantz","year":"2018","journal-title":"Annu Rev Public Health"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Public 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