Late Breaking Abstract - Determinants of E-Cigarette Use Among Students in Ecuador: A Cross-Sectional Study

<bold>Background:</bold> The use of e-cigarettes (e-cigs) among individuals under 18 and young adults is high in our region. Various individual and social factors influence e-cig use. This study aims to identify factors associated with e-cig consumption in our region to develop targeted prevention strategies. <bold>Methods:</bold> This observational, descriptive cross-sectional study used a questionnaire approved by an Ethics Committee, targeting students aged ≥10 years in educational institutions in Ecuador. Data analysis was performed using STATA v17.0, employing frequencies and percentages for descriptive analysis, and chi-square tests for inferential analysis. Multiple regression was used to determine associated factors, with p<0.05 considered statistically significant. <bold>Results:</bold> A total of 3608 questionnaires were collected, primarily from students <18 years, with a slight female majority (51.4% and 52.5%), from private schools (45.3% and 71.1%). Despite 94.4% recognizing the harm caused by e-cigs, 20.3% reported intending to use e-cigs within the next year, especially in the 18-22 age group (53.7%), mostly due to friend recommendations (89.6%), and among current smokers (68.6%) (p<0.001). Conversely, 27.1% of vapers reported plans to quit within the next year (p<0.001). Adjusted analysis showed that believing e-cigs cause significant harm (OR 0.48) and being aged 23-27 (OR 0.40) were protective factors. In contrast, current e-cig use (OR 2.20), friend recommendation (OR 237.9), and traditional cigarette use (OR 1.75) were risk factors (Table 1). <bold>Conclusions:</bold> The study found that peer pressure was the strongest determinant of future e-cigarette use.