China has banned all flavoured e-cigarettes to reduce e-cigarette use among young people, but little is known about the views and reactions of people who use e-cigarettes. This study explored the perceptions of, and responses by, young adults who use e-cigarettes to the flavour ban.
Semistructured interviews were conducted with 25 Chinese young adults aged 18–25 years who had used e-cigarettes daily in the past 3 months. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the interview data.
Four themes were identified from the data: (1) understanding of the public health benefits, (2) resistance to and misperceptions of the flavour ban, (3) circumvention of the flavour ban and (4) acceptance of the flavour ban. Some participants expressed support for the ban due to perceived public health benefits, while others who resisted the ban emphasised their right to choose preferred flavours and questioned the rationale behind the policy. Participants responded to the flavour ban by utilising a variety of adaptive strategies, including purchasing flavoured e-cigarettes through illegal channels or exploring alternative ways to obtain flavours. Those who complied with the ban responded with different strategies, including switching back to combustible cigarettes, using tobacco-flavoured e-cigarettes, or quitting vaping.
The findings suggest the need for comprehensive regulatory measures, including stringent enforcement measures, transparent health communication and vigilant monitoring of e-cigarette manufacturers’ tactics, to reduce e-cigarette use among young adults.