National youth vaping rates are higher than previously thought and those with friends who vape are most susceptible, according to a study published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.
A national sample of 1,006 people aged 15–30 years were surveyed about their use of tobacco and vaping products, motivations, how they obtained e-cigarettes, exposure to others’ vaping, exposure to e-cigarette advertising and perceptions of harms associated with e-cigarettes.
Almost half of respondents reported being either current users (14%) or having used e-cigarettes in the past (33%).
“The current use prevalence of 14% found in this sample is substantially larger than the 4.5% of 15- to 24-year-olds and 4.8% of 25- to 29-year-olds who reported current e-cigarette use in the 2019 National Drug Study Household Survey,” the study, published on Tuesday, found.
Disposable devices were most popular, used by 60% of e-cigarette users and with especially high rates among younger users (80% of 15- to 21-year-olds compared with 49% of 22- to 30-year-olds). The most frequent reason given for using was: “A friend used them”, which was nominated as a motivation for use by 61% of those who used e-cigarettes at least monthly.
Lead author of the study, Prof Simone Pettigrew from the George Institute for Global Health, said vaping was becoming normalised among teenagers, and she had heard of vaping shops opening directly opposite schools.
“I really feel for educational institutions, and we just need, I think, to be helping them as much as possible to try and confront this to stop vaping from normalising,” she said.
“Our study suggests a need for much greater monitoring and enforcement of Australia’s e-cigarette regulations to minimise harm to young people from vaping. We need to crack down on both availability and advertising.”
The chief executive of the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA), Adjunct Prof Terry Slevin, said the finding that 33% of people had tried e-cigarettes but not continued meant it was not too late for governments to introduce strong vaping reforms.
“That tells me there is still a chance to help people and young people avoid becoming regular vapers, and proper regulation recognising the adverse effects of vaping is a sensible, responsible act of government.
“It hasn’t been in use on a regular basis among humanity for any more than 10 to 15 years and very few have been vaping continuously over that period of time, so the long-term effects of vaping remains unknown.
“But there is already evidence of respiratory problems and cardiovascular issues, as well as the quality and safety issues of exploding vapes, and issues with access and poisoning among very small children. There are extraordinary adverse events on primary and high school kids.
“This is a public health disaster unfolding before our eyes.”
In April, the health minister, Mark Butler, will meet tobacco control experts, including a representative from the PHAA, to discuss the vaping reforms that have been recommended to government by drugs regulator the Therapeutic Goods Administration after a public consultation process which closed in January.
Among the submissions were comments from teenagers who urged the government to help them break their nicotine addiction. A 17-year-old girl wrote: “Some of us aren’t doing it to look cool, some of us are genuinely struggling with addictions or are using them as coping mechanisms like a stress reliever.”
Most health experts and authorities supported tightening border controls around nicotine vaping products, and many wanted an import ban on non-nicotine vaping products as well, the TGA consultation found. Sweeping reforms are expected by the government before the end of the year.
