Vaping with nicotine more common than smoking among teens – Stuff.co.nz

More than a third of New Zealand high school students have tried vaping, a new study shows, with 10 per cent vaping regularly and 6 per cent at least once a week.

About 80 per cent of those who reported vaping regularly and 90 per cent of those who vaped weekly or more often sometimes or always used e-cigarettes containing nicotine.

Students often began experimenting with vaping at a young age, with 22 per cent of Year 9 students (13 and 14-year-olds) saying they had tried vaping.

According to clinical psychologist Dougal Sutherland there was real difficulty in designing effective marketing campaigns to deter young people. Its what the cool people are doing at school thats going to be much more influential.

READ MORE:* Vaping problem in schools at 'almost epidemic proportions'* When we've achieved a smokefree Aotearoa, we can start fighting the vape epidemic* Youth vaping - worrying epidemic or divisive distraction from smokefree goals?

The study is based on data from the Youth19 survey of secondary school students aged 13 to 18 in the Auckland, Northland, and Waikato education regions conducted in 2019. It reflects the situation before the Government banned the sale of vaping products to under 18s and prohibited e-cigarette marketing late last year.

The fact that flavours make vaping an enjoyable experience increases the appeal for young people. (File photo)

The influence of people their age is a huge factor, Sutherland said. Theres clearly a sort of coolness attached to it.

A group of middle-aged white men in suits, he said, would be fighting a losing battle to change their minds.

There is also a sense that its relatively safe. Its not smoking, therefore its okay.

The fact that the flavours made it an enjoyable experience increased the appeal for young people. Its like RTDs for alcohol if you make it sweet and palatable, young people will be drawn to it.

Researcher Dr Jude Ball, from the University of Otago in Wellington, said the study highlighted the importance of getting the balance right between making it easy for adult smokers to switch to less harmful vaping, while protecting young non-smokers.

Our findings suggest that during 2018 and 2019, that balance was not achieved.

Ricky Wilson/Stuff

The study highlighted the importance of getting the balance right between making it easy for adult smokers to switch to less harmful vaping, while protecting young non-smokers. (File photo)

Vaping was two to three times more common than smoking among students, and was common among demographic groups unlikely to smoke; two-thirds of those who had tried it, and nearly half of regular vapers, had never smoked.

Two-thirds of those who had tried vaping, and nearly half of regular vapers, had never smoked, and it was and was common among demographic groups unlikely to smoke.

Nationally, this would translate to 15,000 regular vapers and 6700 weekly vapers in the New Zealand secondary school population who have never smoked, Ball said.

Adolescents use increased sharply since the introduction of devices compatible with nicotine in 2018.

Our finding that 80 per cent of students who vape regularly are using nicotine is in contrast to a 2018 study which showed only 23 per cent of 14 and 15-year-old vapers had used nicotine the last time they vaped.

It is also concerning that 17 per cent of those who had tried vaping did not know whether they had used nicotine or not.

Christel Yardley/Stuff

A collection of vaping gear confiscated from students at Cambridge High School. (File photo)

Ball said while vaping carried lower health risks than smoking, it was not harmless.

Recent reports have highlighted the risk of acute lung injury in vapers, as well as chronic risks to cardiovascular, respiratory and oral health, she said. The impacts of long term use are still unknown.

Fellow researcher Associate Professor Terryann Clark (Ngpuhi), from the University of Auckland, welcomed new Government proposals to invest in social marketing campaigns aimed at young people.

Our findings suggest that prevention campaigns will need to focus on much younger students, with one in five students having already tried vaping by the age of 14.

More needed to be done to enforce new laws brought in last year to restrict marketing, and ban the sale of vaping products to under 18s.

The research paper, New Zealand Youth19 survey: vaping has wider appeal than smoking in secondary school students, and most use nicotine-containing e-cigarettes, has been published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.

Continued here:

Vaping with nicotine more common than smoking among teens - Stuff.co.nz