Bad news for young lungs! A new study shows vaping among young adults has skyrocketed in England, tripling in just two years. Use of Disposable vapes among 18 to 24 years old is driving the use of highly-addictive nicotine in England.
Experts say that vaping is less harmful than smoking cigarettes, it does not mean it doesn’t harm us. They warn that vaping is not risk free and should not be used by those who have never smoked.
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Research on Data on Vaping
Research funded by Cancer Research UK, looked at data on smoking and vaping habits of over 132,000 people in England. This data spanned from July 2016 all the way to May 2023.
It was to see how things have changed before and after disposable vapes became popular in June 2021. Disposable vapes are usually sold in attractive packaging and come in a variety of flavors.
Vaping has been increasing across all age groups, especially younger adults (18 to 24 years old) since, disposable vaping started to become popular.
According to Senior Author and Cancer Research UK’s Executive Director of Policy
Senior author Dr Sarah Jackson, also from UCL, said: ‘While action is needed to counter the rise in vaping among young people who otherwise would not use nicotine, policies should avoid signaling that e-cigarettes are a worse alternative to smoking tobacco.
‘Vaping may not be risk-free, but smoking is uniquely lethal.
‘It is also critical that policies designed to make e-cigarettes less attractive to young people do not inadvertently make these products less effective for helping people to stop smoking.
‘Measures that target vaping products’ appearance, packaging, and marketing rather than their flavours and nicotine content may be most effective in striking this balance.’
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Dr Ian Walker, Cancer Research UK’s executive director of policy, said: ‘This study shows a concerning increase in the number of young adults using vapes since disposables came on the market in the UK.
‘Evidence to date shows that vapes are far less harmful than cigarettes, but they can’t be considered risk-free and certainly shouldn’t fall into the hands of children or those who have never smoked.
‘A continued decline in smoking rates is encouraging to see, but we can’t become complacent — smoking is still the biggest cause of cancer in the UK and it’s vital that we protect the next generation from a lifetime of addiction.
‘All parties must ensure the world-leading Tobacco and Vapes Bill is passed through Parliament before the dissolution of Government ahead of a General Election.’
Dr Ruediger Krech, WHO director of health promotion, said: ‘The use of child-friendly flavors like cotton candy and bubblegum, combined with sleek and colorful designs that resemble toys, is a blatant attempt to addict young people to these harmful products.’
