Abstract
Smoking cessation is recommended for individuals with cardiovascular disease (CVD), but cigarette users with myocardial infarction (MI) or heart failure (HF) have difficulty in quitting smoking. The prevalence of e-cigarette use among individuals with MI or HF in recent years is unknown. We analyzed nationally representative data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study (Wave 7) to assess prevalence of e-cigarette use, perceptions of harm from e-cigarettes, and interest in switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes among individuals with a recent MI or HF diagnosis. Among US adults with a MI or HF diagnosis in the previous year, 22.0% reported cigarette use only, 0.9% reported e-cigarette use only, and 2.7% reported dual cigarette and e-cigarette use. Of cigarette users, only 4.5% reported an interest in switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes. More than two-thirds (70.2%) of participants perceived e-cigarettes as very or extremely harmful. Cigarette users with a recent MI or HF diagnosis reported low interest in switching to e-cigarettes. The low interest, with the concerns about the harmful effects of e-cigarettes, suggests that switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes may not be an acceptable strategy to reduce the risk of cigarette smoking in this population.