Nearly two in three young never vapers susceptible to starting, study finds

Almost two-thirds (62%) of people aged 15-30 in the UK who have never used e-cigarettes may be susceptible to taking up vaping in the future, a new study has found.

According to results of an international survey by The George Institute for Global Health, published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, current or past tobacco use has the greatest effect on susceptibility, followed by exposure to e-cigarette advertising.

Perceived harmfulness, meanwhile, reduced the likelihood of susceptibility.

“These findings suggest that an overwhelming number of young people may be at risk of e-cigarette use in the UK and in other countries,” Prof Simone Pettigrew, lead author and Program Director of Health Promotion and Behaviour Change at The George Institute, said.

“While some types of promotion of these products is prohibited, advertising on posters, billboards, and buses is still prevalent in the UK. A complete ban on e-cigarette advertising should be considered, as it is clearly influencing young people’s attitudes towards these addictive and potentially harmful products.”

Results from the people surveyed in the UK who had never used e-cigarettes before showed that 55 per cent were curious about them, 50 per cent would use them if offered by a friend, and 41 per cent had intentions to use them in the next year.

Researchers also found that almost two-thirds (63%) of UK respondents had seen e-cigarette advertising, a far higher number than in China (51%), India (47%) and Australia (30%) where the study also took place. UK respondents were less likely to believe that e-cigarettes are addictive (74%) or harmful (67%), compared to those in Australia (87% and 83%, respectively), where susceptibility was lowest (54%).

Dr Ana-Catarina Pinho-Gomes, honorary research fellow at The George Institute UK said, “Many young people worldwide are trialling e-cigarettes despite the unknown health effects of their long-term use. Harmful chemicals in unregistered products are a major concern, as is the often unlabelled amount of nicotine, which is highly addictive. To discourage further uptake of e-cigarettes among young people who have never smoked, the government needs to do more to educate on their negative effects.”