VapeCons: E-cigarette User Conventions
The growing popularity of e-cigarettes has given rise to VapeCons, or ‘vaping conventions,’ events at which e-cigarette users socialize, try new products, connect with vendors and get free samples. This study is the first to systematically describe vaping conventions to raise awareness of this practice and its potential public health implications.
Key Findings
Google searches were conducted in 2014-2015 to identify conventions and capture details about their location, sponsors, admission cost, features and promotions.
- 41 different organizations planned 90 vaping conventions in 37 different locations from 2010-2015.
- Conventions encouraged use of e-cigarettes and offered attendees access to a wide range of product vendors, seminars, social interactions with other users, parties, gifts, vaping contests and other events.
Vaping conventions promote e-cigarette use in the absence of a public health voice to educate attendees about the potential negative consequences of use. Future research should focus on how attending these conventions may affect attendees and how vapor-filled convention rooms affects indoor air quality.
Citation: Williams RS. VapeCons: E-cigarette user conventions. J. Public Health Policy. 2015. doi:10.1057/jphp.2015.31.
Image courtesy of Vaping360.com.
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