Researchers find that young persons are more likely to vape than to smoke cigarettes, and that more vapers than smokers become addicted to nicotine.
Data from an ongoing federal study of tobacco usage show that 56% of young individuals who vape have never routinely smoked cigarettes.
Researchers noted in a research letter published Nov. 13 in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine that more young people are starting to use nicotine through vaping than smoking for the first time.
Director of the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Health Tobacco Treatment Programme and researcher Benjamin Toll noted, “We now have a shift such that there are more ‘never smokers’ who vape than established smokers.” “There has been a significant change in the tobacco industry.”
According to a university news release, Toll continued, “These ‘never smokers’ are unlikely to start smoking combustible cigarettes—they’re likely to vape and keep vaping.” And these individuals, who range in age from 18 to 24, will predict the usage of e-cigarettes in the future.
Researchers found that while e-cigarettes may not be as dangerous as smoking, they are still not completely safe. It’s depressing to see young, nonsmokers start vaping as a result.
We wish to assist persons who smoke and have smoked combustible tobacco cigarettes for a few decades in quitting since they are at an extremely high risk of developing cancer. According to co-lead researcher Naomi Brownstein, an associate professor in the MUSC Department of Public Health Sciences, “if they’re not ready for that, switching to e-cigarettes is at least a partial win.” Ultimately, we’d like to help people quit tobacco altogether.
“Now, we think starting vaping is a problem for those people who are 18 years old and your friends are like, ‘Hey, let’s vape some banana bread nicotine,’ and you’ve never smoked,” Brownstein continued.
The Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study, a nationally representative study conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health, provided data for the current study. Six waves of data collecting have been conducted thus far for the PATH Study, which got underway in 2013.
Almost 15% of persons between the ages of 18 and 24 reported regularly using e-cigarettes, according to Wave 6 data, which includes survey results from 2021. This percentage is higher than previous CDC estimates of 11%.
Toll anticipates that figure will rise even further in subsequent PATH waves because that age group is one that many marketers aim to reach.
“You’ve just graduated from high school; you’re starting your life, changing a lot, and, most importantly, it’s when brand loyalty starts,” Toll explained. “You’re transitioning to either college or to work at this time.”
While cigarette advertising has been drastically reduced, e-cigarette promotion has skyrocketed, especially on social media.
Toll stated, “I’m very uncomfortable that there are so many flavoured, disposable e-cigarettes that are clearly marketed to young people. We don’t know what the long-term health consequences are yet.”
In addition to the overall rise in vaping, the survey data indicated that young women were becoming more and more interested in vaping.
According to Brownstein, “young men were vaping more than young women at the beginning of the survey data.” “And they were still at the end, but young women were beginning to catch up a little bit because their increase was a little steeper.”
According to co-lead researcher Brandon Sanford, a postdoctoral scholar in the MUSC Department of Public Health Sciences, the findings suggest that public health researchers may need to change their focus in order to get more knowledge about the possible risks associated with e-cigarettes.
“We know there are a lot of public health implications about where our efforts need to be in terms of cessation counselling and treatment development if the use of combustible tobacco is becoming less prevalent than that of e-cigarettes,” Sanford said. Currently, there aren’t many recognised vaping therapies available. Though the research is still in its early stages, a lot of work is being done to see whether the therapies that have been successful in helping traditional tobacco users quit vaping.
Sanford continued, “A lot of vapers do want to quit.” It’s an uncomfortable addiction for many people, even if the health risks of vaping aren’t as bad as those of smoking.
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