E-cigarette Use Among Professional Baseball Players

Objectives: E-cigarettes usage has been viewed as a healthy alternative to smoking combustible cigarettes. Current research, however, is inconclusive. The purpose of this study was to evaluate minor league professional baseball players’ knowledge, attitudes and use of e-cigarettes, as well as perceptions regarding their own oral health.
Methods: Three major league franchises participated in this study. Athletic trainers distributed the surveys to their minor league professional baseball players during spring training physicals. The players completed the surveys voluntarily and anonymously. Data was managed with an excel program and interpreted via standard descriptive statistical analysis.
Results: E-cigarette use among these professional baseball players (n=150) revealed: (1) 8.1% used e -cigarettes at least once, (2) 24.8 % were former users, (3) 2.7% were current users and (4) 64.5% had never used. Among the current users, 75.0% were Hispanic. 50% of current users and 67% of past users believe e-cigarettes cause some harm but less than combustible cigarettes. 58% of those who used e-cigarettes only once and 65% of those who never used e-cigarettes believe that e-cigarettes are equally as damaging as traditional cigarettes. Of the four groups, the group with the highest percentage of baseball players thinking that e-cigarettes are less addictive than normal cigarettes were past e-cigarette users (30%). 100% of current users indicated that they would quit using e-cigarettes if it was determined that using e-cigarettes was harmful.
Conclusions: This study demonstrated that professional baseball players who currently use or have used e-cigarettes had a more favorable attitude towards smoking e-cigarettes as it was presumed to be less harmful than smoking combustible cigarettes. Future research is needed to clarify the effects of e-cigarette use on oral health in order to better educate athletes.