According to a study that was published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, the national teenage vaping prevalence is larger than previously believed, and those who have vaping-related acquaintances are particularly vulnerable.
The use of tobacco and vaping products, reasons, how people obtained e-cigarettes, exposure to others’ vaping, exposure to e-cigarette advertising, and views of the risks associated with e-cigarettes were all the subjects of a national survey of 1,006 adults between the ages of 15 and 30.
Almost half of those surveyed said they were either now using e-cigarettes (14%) or had done so in the past (33%).
In comparison to 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 current usage prevalence of 14% discovered in this sample is significantly higher.
The most common type of e-cigarette was a disposable device, which was used by 60% of users and at particularly high rates among younger users (80% of 15 to 21-year-olds compared to 49% of 22 to 30 year-olds). Sixty-one percent of those who use e-cigarettes at least monthly cite “A friend used them” as their primary motivator for using them.
Vaping is becoming more common among teenagers, according to the study’s lead author, Prof. Simone Pettigrew of the George Institute for Global Health, who also said she had heard of vaping shops popping up next to schools.
I have a lot of sympathy for educational institutions, and I believe we should do all in our power to support them as they attempt to address this issue and prevent vaping from becoming more prevalent, she said.
Our study demonstrates that in order to reduce the harm that vaping causes to young people, Australia’s e-cigarette legislation need to be monitored and enforced considerably more closely. Enforcement of both availability and promotion is necessary.
Adjunct Prof Terry Slevin, the chief executive of the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA), said it was still possible for governments to enact robust vaping regulations because 33% of people had tried e-cigarettes but had stopped using them.
That seems to me that there is still time to prevent individuals, especially young people, from regularly vaping. Appropriate regulation that acknowledges the harmful impacts of vaping is a rational, responsible action on the part of the government.The long-term effects of vaping are still unknown because it hasn’t been used regularly by humans for longer than 10 to 15 years and very few people have been vaping consistently throughout that time.However, there is already proof of respiratory concerns, cardiovascular problems, problems with the quality and safety of exploding vapes, problems with access, and poisoning in young children. On elementary school and high school students, extraordinary detrimental events occur.
Tobacco control experts, including one from the PHAA, will meet with the health minister, Mark Butler, in April to discuss the vaping reforms that the Therapeutic Goods Administration has recommended to the government following a public consultation process that ended in January.
Teenagers who wanted the government to assist them in quitting smoking made comments in the submissions. The following was written by a 17-year-old girl: 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.
According to the TGA consultation, the majority of health authorities and experts favoured tighter border controls for nicotine vaping products, and many also desired an import ban on non-nicotine vaping items. Before the year is over, the government is anticipated to implement significant reforms.
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