6月18日，根据发表在《烟草控制》上的最新研究，相信电子烟与传统香烟同等有害或更有害的人们所占比例取决于如何提出问题。
烟草公司通常声称，很大一部分人口认为改良烟草产品的潜在风险与卷烟相同，甚至更有害，并认为需要通过改良风险声明来纠正误解。
但是，据研究人员称，他们引用的研究主要使用一种比较风险的特定测量方法。
作者研究了烟草制品和风险感知调查中提出问题的方式。当直接问及比较电子烟和香烟的危害时，有33.9％的参与者认为电子烟的危害比香烟小，有36.4％的人表示危害相同，有4.3％的人说电子烟的危害更大，有25.3％的人说不知道。”
但是，当被间接问到时，有42.1％的人认为电子烟的危害性比香烟小，有23.8％的人认为电子烟的危害相同，有7.1％的人认为电子烟的危害更大，有27.1％的人不知道。
作者说，研究人员在评估公众对与新型烟草制品有关的危害的看法时应同时使用直接和间接风险问题提问。
Study: Assessment of Relative Risk Determined by Questioning
June 18,
The share of people who believe e-cigarettes are equally harmful or more harmful than traditional cigarettes depends on how the question is asked, according to new research published in Tobacco Control.
Tobacco companies often claim that a large proportion of the population perceives potential modified risk tobacco products as equally or more harmful than cigarettes, and argue misperceptions need to be corrected using modified risk claims.
However, the studies they cite predominantly use one specific measurement of comparative risk, according to the researchers.
The authors studied the way questions were posed in the Tobacco Products and Risk Perceptions Survey. When asked directly to compare harms of e-cigarettes and cigarettes, 33.9 percent of participants identified e-cigarettes as less harmful than cigarettes, 36.4 percent reported equal harm, 4.3 percent said e-cigarettes were more harmful and 25.3 percent said, “I don’t know.”
When asked indirectly, however, 42.1 percent identified e-cigarettes as less harmful than cigarettes, 23.8 percent said they were of equal harm, 7.1 percent perceived e-cigarettes to be more harmful and 27.1 percent did not know.
The authors say researchers should use both direct and indirect risk questions when assessing the public’s perceptions of harms associated with novel tobacco products.
