Call to “limit the attractiveness” of vapes to young people
Vaping is now a familiar sight in everyday life. With increased awareness of the dangers of smoking, vaping can, with appropriate support, be an effective tool to help people to quit.
However, as vapes have become increasingly accessible, a growing number of children and young people are now turning to vaping and experiencing unnecessary nicotine addiction which is not linked to tobacco dependency.
School teachers are reporting on increased in-school absenteeism where students are vaping instead of attending class.
“Vaping in schools is a serious issue. Beyond the potential health implications, it has resulted in an exponential increase in in-school truanting as pupils seek opportunities to use vaping devices during class time as well as at intervals and lunch breaks. This impacts on learning and teaching due to the disruption it causes. Vaping has also led to an increase in episodes of bullying and peer pressure to take up the habit which unfortunately, many do,” reported a teacher from a rural Scottish secondary school.
The British Medical Association says bold action is needed and vapes have no rightful place in young people's lives. They have called for a total ban on disposable e-cigarettes and all flavours apart from tobacco. Professor David Strain from the BMA told Radio 4 Today that the proposed Tobacco and Vapes Bill which is being reintroduced by the Labour should “limit the attractiveness” of vapes to young people.
Dr Mike McKean, VP for Policy for the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health stated:
“Tobacco and Vapes Bill is now a matter of urgency for the health of our children and young people. We need our Government to have the necessary powers to regulate these products and companies, to protect children and young people, by implementing a ban on disposable e-cigarettes, limiting flavours, introducing plain packaging and restricting advertisements both online and in stores.”
Carol Stonham, PCRS Policy Lead said:
"Vaping can play a vital part in helping smokers to quit but the trend we are seeing, particularly in children and young people, in starting vapes having never smoked is showing a worrying increase. We need policies in place to make vaping less attractive and more difficult to access and this will be led by the changes in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. The new government needs to make this an urgent priority to help keep our children safe."
E-cigarettes/vapes should only be used as a tool to support people to quit tobacco smoking
Following Darush Attar-Zadeh’s tobacco dependency article in PCRS’s Spring/Summer edition of Primary Care Respiratory Update, his 16-year-old daughter, Sophia Attar-Zadeh took it upon herself to write a blog on vaping providing a ‘first-hand account’ of how an increased number of children and young people have been drawn to it since the covid 19 pandemic.
This blog offers an interesting, concerning and unique perspective from a young person at the front line of a rapidly increasing issue.
Tobacco dependency is a long-term relapsing condition that usually starts in childhood
Knowing how to use Very Brief Advice to instigate a quit attempt and supporting smokers who are ready to quit is the business of every healthcare professional.Treating tobacco dependency systematically and effectively will have a significant impact on the triple aim:
Primary Care Respiratory Update (PCRU)
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Podcast - Vaping and E-cigarettes
Join Ren Lawlor (Independent Nurse Consultant and Vice-Chair of PCRS) and Steve Holmes (GP and PCRS Committee Member) as they discuss vaping and e-cigarettes. They cover the current evidence and positions on vaping from Public Health England and respiratory organisations such as the British Thoracic Society, PCRS and the European Respiratory Society and acknowledge that evidence is still being gathered on the longer term impact of vaping and e-cigarette use. Their discussions address the rise in vaping in young people and approaches for harm reduction.