INTRODUCTION Although Thailand has banned the import of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) into the kingdom, a range of evidence has revealed the widespread use of these illegal products, especially among university students. Too little is known about personal and perceptual factors for such behavior. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with the use of e-cigarettes among university students in Northern Thailand. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted with 792 university students in Northern Thailand between June and July 2020. An anonymous, self-administered questionnaire was implemented to collect relevant information. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied to identify factors associated with the use of e-cigarettes in the last 30 days. RESULTS The study revealed that 18.1% of the participants used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days. The personal factors associated with e-cigarette use among Thai university students included: studying in non-health related faculties (AOR=11.21; 95% CI: 4.88-25.71); having a friend using e-cigarettes (AOR=10.48; 95% CI: 5.96-18.41); having a lower GPA than the mean (AOR=1.93; 95% CI: 1.14- 3.28); and having a monthly income higher than the mean (AOR=1.74; 95% CI: 1.09-2.78). Regarding perceptual factors, there was a significant link between e-cigarette use and the perception that these modern cigarettes are less harmful than conventional cigarettes (AOR=2.47; 95% CI: 1.50-4.07), and perception that using e-cigarettes in public is not illegal (AOR=1.93; 95% CI: 1.19-3.15). CONCLUSIONS E-cigarette use is widespread among Thai university students. Maintaining the enforcement policy on banning the importation of e-cigarettes into the country is thus needed. Also, further communication and public relations on the risks and legal prohibitions of e-cigarette use are needed among university students in the Northern Thailand.

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泰国北部大学生中与使用电子烟相关的个人和感性因素。

引言尽管泰国禁止向该国进口电子烟（电子烟），但一系列证据表明，这些非法产品的广泛使用，尤其是在大学生中。对于这种行为的个人和感知因素知之甚少。这项研究旨在调查泰国北部大学生中使用电子烟的患病率和相关因素。方法于2020年6月至2020年7月期间，对泰国北部的792名大学生进行了横断面研究。实施了匿名的，自行管理的问卷，以收集相关信息。应用双变量和多元逻辑回归分析来确定最近30天内与使用电子烟相关的因素。结果研究发现18。在过去30天内，有1％的参与者使用了电子烟。与泰国大学生使用电子烟相关的个人因素包括：在非健康相关系学习（AOR = 11.21； 95％CI：4.88-25.71）；拥有一个使用电子烟的朋友（AOR = 10.48； 95％CI：5.96-18.41）；GPA低于平均值（AOR = 1.93； 95％CI：1.14-3.28）；且月收入高于平均水平（AOR = 1.74； 95％CI：1.09-2.78）。关于感官因素，在使用电子烟与认为这些现代香烟比传统香烟危害较小（AOR = 2.47； 95％CI：1.50-4.07）之间存在明显的联系，并且认为在公共场所使用电子烟之间存在显着联系。不是非法的（AOR = 1.93; 95％CI：1.19-3.15）。结论在泰国大学生中，电子烟的使用非常普遍。因此，需要维持禁止向该国进口电子烟的执法政策。另外，在泰国北部的大学生中，还需要就使用电子烟的风险和法律禁止进行进一步的交流和公共关系。