{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,30]],"date-time":"2026-06-30T10:45:48Z","timestamp":1782816348342,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,29]],"date-time":"2026-06-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782691200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Importance Understanding sex-based differences in vaping-related perceptions and behaviors is critical for informing targeted public health interventions, particularly in regions where e-cigarette use is emerging. Objective To examine sex differences across multiple vaping-related domains, including behavioral context, perceived utility, risk perception, social norms, and media influence among young adults in Saudi Arabia. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study was conducted among 388 young adults aged 18\u201324 years in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using a structured, theory-informed questionnaire adapted from established tobacco-use instruments. Exposure Sex (male vs. female), monthly income, and marital status. Main Outcomes and Measures Domain-specific scores were derived from 12 vaping-related items grouped into 5 conceptual domains. Scores were categorized into low, medium, and high levels using tertiles. Associations were assessed using ordinal logistic regression. Results Among 388 participants, 228 (58.8%) were male and 160 (41.2%) were female. Males consistently demonstrated higher levels of endorsement across domains. In adjusted models, females had significantly lower odds of higher domain scores across situational use (OR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.45\u20130.86), perceived utility (OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.41\u20130.81), risk perception (OR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.39\u20130.75), social norms (OR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.45\u20130.88), and media influence (OR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.35\u20130.69). Lower income was also associated with reduced endorsement across multiple domains. Conclusions and Relevance Significant sex-based differences exist in vaping-related perceptions and behaviors among young adults. These findings highlight the need for sex-specific prevention strategies addressing perceived benefits and marketing exposure in emerging vaping contexts.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph23070848","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,30]],"date-time":"2026-06-30T10:01:17Z","timestamp":1782813677000},"page":"848","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Sex Differences in Perceptions and Behavioral Context of Electronic Cigarette Use: A Cross-Sectional Study in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"23","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-1395-2559","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shada","family":"Alodaini","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Respiratory Therapy, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah 21423, Saudi Arabia"},{"name":"King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Jeddah 22384, Saudi Arabia"},{"name":"Ministry of the National Guard-Health Affairs, Jeddah 23462, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-7164-6250","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mohammed Ahmed","family":"Alzahrani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Respiratory Therapy, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah 21423, Saudi Arabia"},{"name":"King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Jeddah 22384, Saudi Arabia"},{"name":"Ministry of the National Guard-Health Affairs, Jeddah 23462, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-0722-5321","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mohammed Awad","family":"Algarni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Respiratory Therapy, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah 21423, Saudi Arabia"},{"name":"King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Jeddah 22384, Saudi Arabia"},{"name":"Ministry of the National Guard-Health Affairs, Jeddah 23462, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-5895-1212","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Wajdi Hussain","family":"Alamri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Respiratory Therapy, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah 21423, Saudi Arabia"},{"name":"King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Jeddah 22384, Saudi Arabia"},{"name":"Ministry of the National Guard-Health Affairs, Jeddah 23462, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-5322-2326","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ahmed H.","family":"Alasimi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9497-0395","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Faisal A.","family":"Turkestani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Respiratory Therapy, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah 21423, Saudi Arabia"},{"name":"King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Jeddah 22384, Saudi Arabia"},{"name":"Ministry of the National Guard-Health Affairs, Jeddah 23462, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1579-1215","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alaa","family":"Bugis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Respiratory Therapy, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah 21423, Saudi Arabia"},{"name":"King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Jeddah 22384, Saudi Arabia"},{"name":"Ministry of the National Guard-Health Affairs, Jeddah 23462, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-1782-8574","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jameel","family":"Hakeem","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Respiratory Therapy, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah 21423, Saudi Arabia"},{"name":"King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Jeddah 22384, Saudi Arabia"},{"name":"Ministry of the National Guard-Health Affairs, Jeddah 23462, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101401","DOI":"10.1016\/j.eclinm.2022.101401","article-title":"Electronic cigarette use among adults in 14 countries: A cross-sectional study","volume":"47","author":"Pan","year":"2022","journal-title":"eClinicalMedicine"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gebeyehu, N.A., Gelaw, K.A., Atalay, Y.A., Walle, B.G., Gesese, M.M., Admass, B.A., Birhan, B., Geberemariam, A.E., Alemu, B.W., and Shewangashaw, N.E. 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