Teenage vaping ‘encourages future smoking’

Teenage non-smokers who take up using electronic cigarettes are more likely to move on to tobacco, according to US research.

The research analysed data from 347 youngsters aged 17 and 18 years old who took part in a 2014 survey and a subsequent follow-up one year later. They were asked about their substance usage, including vaping and conventional cigarette smoking.

It was shown that the number of teens who had used an e-cigarette within the past 30 days was around 50 percent higher than it was for conventional smoking. Teens who had never smoked a cigarette before reaching age 17 but had subsequently used an e-cigarette were more than four times more likely to move on to tobacco by the time of the subsequent survey.

Most of the respondents thought cigarette smoking was harmful, with 80 percent feeling that smoking one or more packs daily posed a great risk. However, recent vapers were four times as likely to move away from this belief.

The researchers concluded: "These results bolster findings for vaping as a one way bridge to cigarette smoking among adolescents. The results support a desensitisation process, whereby youths who vape lower their perceived risk of cigarette smoking."

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