Ban on disposable vapes would affect one in seven young adults in Great Britain
A ban on disposable vapes, currently being considered by the UK Government, would affect one in seven young adults (aged 18-24) in Great Britain, and one in 20 adults overall, according to a new study led by UCL researchers.
Peer-Reviewed PublicationA ban on disposable vapes, currently being considered by the UK Government, would affect one in seven young adults (aged 18-24) in Great Britain, and one in 20 adults overall, according to a new study led by UCL researchers.
The study, funded by Cancer Research UK and published in the journal Public Health, looked at survey responses from 69,973 adults in England, Wales and Scotland between January 2021 and August 2023.
The researchers found the proportion of adults using disposable e-cigarettes rose from 0.1% to 4.9% during that period. The increase was particularly pronounced among 18- to 24-year-olds, with 14.4% using disposable vapes in 2023, as well as among smokers (16.3%) and people who had stopped smoking in the past year (18.2%).
Use among people who had never regularly smoked was relatively rare (1.5%) but was higher among 18- to 24-year-olds, of whom 7.1% used disposable e-cigarettes and had never regularly smoked tobacco.
Lead author Dr Sarah Jackson (UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care), said: “Our study suggests a ban on disposable e-cigarettes would affect an estimated 2.6 million people in England, Wales and Scotland.
“This group includes about 316,000 18- to 24-year-olds who currently use disposables but who have never regularly smoked tobacco. However, it also includes 1.2 million people who currently smoke and would benefit from switching to e-cigarettes completely, and a further 744,000 who previously smoked and may be at risk of relapse.
“While banning disposables might seem like a straightforward solution to reduce youth vaping, it could have substantial unintended consequences for people who smoke.
“In the event of a ban, it would be important to encourage current and ex-smokers who use disposables to switch to other types of e-cigarettes rather than going back to just smoking tobacco.
“In addition, we found disposable use to be particularly prevalent among recent ex-smokers with a history of mental health conditions. This group may require targeted support to help them avoid relapse.”
The research team used data from the Smoking Toolkit Study, in which a different sample of 2,450 adults in Great Britain (who are representative of the general population) are interviewed each month.
They found disposable e-cigarette use was significantly higher among adults living in England than Wales or Scotland (5.3% vs. 2.0% and 2.8% at the end of the study period) and among those from less (vs. more) advantaged social grades (6.1% vs. 4.0%), those with (vs. without) children (6.4% vs. 4.4%), and those with (vs. without) a history of mental health conditions (9.3% vs. 3.1%).
Until recently, the researchers noted, very few adult vapers in Great Britain used disposables, but in 2021 new disposable e-cigarettes entered the market with designs and branding that appealed to young people, causing use of disposables to quickly rise in the UK and elsewhere. These products are available widely, for instance in corner shops, and are promoted via colourful in-store displays.
While they are convenient to use, with a very low upfront cost, they have also become an environmental problem, with millions of the devices reportedly thrown away in the UK each week.
Senior author Professor Jamie Brown (UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care), said: “There is a need for action to reduce disposable vaping among young people who have never smoked. However, trade-offs need to be carefully considered. A ban may discourage use of e-cigarettes among people trying to quit smoking and may induce relapse among those who have already used disposables to quit. Cigarettes are far more harmful to our health and are not currently banned and a ban on disposable e-cigarettes may signal to large numbers of people that these products are worse for our health or that their harm is comparable to that caused by smoking tobacco. I favour a range of alternative policies, in the first instance, allied with rapid evaluation to judge whether these are sufficient to achieve reductions in youth vaping.”
In the paper, the researchers outlined other measures to strengthen the regulation of disposable vapes that had a reduced risk of unintended consequences, such as causing relapse among ex-smokers.
These included prohibiting branding with appeal to children (e.g., bright colours, sweet names, and cartoon characters), prohibiting promotion of e-cigarettes in shops, putting e-cigarettes out of sight and reach of children, and putting an excise tax on disposables to raise the price to the same level as the cheapest reusable e-cigarettes. Defining disposables may prove problematic so a minimum unit price may be more a straightforward alternative to reduce their affordability and is something that could be implemented quickly.
The researchers noted that their data might under-estimate prevalence of disposable vape use. This is because survey respondents were asked which type of e-cigarette they mainly used, so people who used disposables as a secondary product were not captured.
In addition to Cancer Research UK, the study received support from the UK Prevention Research Partnership.
JOURNAL
Public Health
METHOD OF RESEARCH
Observational study
SUBJECT OF RESEARCH
People
ARTICLE TITLE
Who would be affected by a ban on disposable vapes? A population study in Great Britain
ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE
24-Jan-2024
Avoiding cloudy messaging: Vape prevention campaigns face challenges
Flinders University researchers say that cohesive and collaborative action from preventive health communicators and organisations is needed to inform young people about the devastating harms of vaping.
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VAPING PREVENTION HEALTH COMMUNICATION CAMPAIGN EXAMPLE MATERIALS: (A) NSW HEALTH CAMPAIGN MEDIA AND TOOLKIT, ADAPTED, BASTION AGENCY; (B) LUNG FOUNDATION AUSTRALIA CAMPAIGN, ADAPTED, SABIO AGENCY AND (C) US FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION CAMPAIGN, ADAPTED, FDA RESOURCE LIBRARY.
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Flinders University researchers say that cohesive and collaborative action from preventive health communicators and organisations is needed to inform young people about the devastating harms of vaping.
“Despite awareness of the potential harms, recreational vaping is increasing among younger people with our South Australian participants seeing vaping as ‘cleaner’ and less harmful than cigarettes,” says Flinders University’s Dr Joshua Trigg.
“We know that nicotine vapes are highly addictive and expose people to harmful chemicals, respiratory irritants, and toxic substances. In order to discourage young people from picking up a vape, we need to understand what messaging they will best respond to,” says Dr Trigg.
Vapes, or e-cigarettes, are lithium battery-powered devices that heat liquids containing solvents, nicotine, flavourings and other chemicals, volatile compounds, and ultrafine particles into an aerosol that are inhaled into the lungs.
Flinders University researchers investigated the impact of different vaping prevention public health media campaigns among young South Australians aged 16–26 years to help determine what will work best in vaping risk messaging.
Participants of the study were shown example materials from three vaping prevention campaigns and resource sets: ‘The Real Cost, ‘Do you know what you’re vaping’ and ‘Unveil what you inhale’ to assess whether they were easily understood, appropriate, relevant, credible and effective.
“We know that health communication campaigns are an established tool for emphasising the dangers associated with vaping. By studying the impact of these campaigns more closely, we can improve future messaging to reduce and deter the use of vapes by young people,” he says.
Those who do vape and those who don’t, reacted in different ways to the campaigns. Those who didn’t already vape responded better to explicit messaging and shock tactics about the health risks associated with vaping. Whereas those who already vaped responded better to information challenging the notion that vapes are healthier than smoking cigarettes.
“We found that young people are likely to engage more with campaigns that consider the real life experiences, social contexts, and negative consequences associated with vaping. These experiences drew more interest and were more thought provoking to young South Australians,” Dr Trigg says.
“Bright visual design elements that represented health and wellbeing drew the attention of both groups of young people, with participants reiterating the benefits of using online and media resources to deliver preventative media campaigns. Campaigns now tend to adopt a ‘mobile first’ design approach, to target their audiences where they consume media” he says.
“In future, it is important that vaping prevention messaging considers those who already vape and those who do not, and clearly address the potential dangers and side-effects of inhaling a combination of chemicals. Young people need to understand that nicotine vaping is not a risk-free alternative to smoking cigarettes,” he adds.
The research – “Vaping harms awareness messaging: exploring young South Australians’ responses to vaping prevention campaign materials”, by Joshua Trigg, Ola Ela, Jacqueline Bowden, Ashlea Bartram, Clinton Cenko, and Billie Bonevski – has been published in the journal Health Promotional International. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daad145
JOURNAL
Health Promotion International
METHOD OF RESEARCH
Survey
SUBJECT OF RESEARCH
People
ARTICLE TITLE
Vaping harms awareness messaging: exploring young South Australians’ responses to vaping prevention campaign materials
It’s time to address the high rate of Australians with disabilities addicted to smoking
According to a new analysis, almost a quarter of Australians with disabilities smoke when compared to just 12.6% of the wider population.
While the number of Australians smoking is declining, the barriers for people with disabilities mean targeted support is needed to develop healthier habits.
Flinders University and Cancer Council NSW health experts are recommending new strategies to tackle the alarming smoking rate through targeted government policies, data collection on smoking and training for disability support workers on tobacco prevention strategies.
The experts have assessed strategies that can address increased risk factors that result in higher rates of smoking among people with disabilities. These include socioeconomic challenges that make nicotine replacements unaffordable such as higher unemployment and living on income support.
Physical restrictions and a shortage of trained professionals to support their efforts to quit make the challenge even harder, according to the researchers.
Cancer Council NSW Tobacco Cessation Coordinator and lead author of the paper, Tiana Vourliotis, said a comprehensive approach including smoking cessation services, co-designed programs, and targeted policy initiatives is imperative to reduce the prevalence of tobacco use.
Published in the Australian & New Zealand Journal of Public Health, the researchers recommend innovative prevention strategies that can close the disparity in smoking rates, including:
- Offering support to stop smoking within disability services
- Training for healthcare providers and support workers on effective strategies
- Consistent policy across Australian states
- Further collection of smoking data
Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute Director and study co-author, Professor Billie Bonevski, says the decrease in the numbers of people who smoke in Australia is not consistent across the whole of society and there remains a significantly higher smoking prevalence among people experiencing social, economic, or cultural disadvantage.
“People with disabilities encounter various obstacles, including lower socioeconomic status, unemployment, and difficulties accessing affordable quit-smoking support. Physical barriers and a shortage of trained professionals make the challenge even greater, hindering their ability to quit smoking,” says Professor Bonevski.
“Despite these big challenges, we know that informed policymaking and a dedication to positive health outcomes can drive meaningful reductions in smoking rates for people with disabilities.”
The federal government last year introduced new laws aimed at curbing smoking and addiction to tobacco in Australia using health warnings on packaging.
But this research has recognised the importance of providing choice for people with disabilities with the aim of fostering supportive environments for quitting, particularly in health and residential settings where they reside.
“Our commitment to addressing high smoking rates among people with disabilities in Australia can set a precedent for global efforts when it comes to developing targeted strategies and paving the way for a healthier future for the entire population.”
JOURNAL
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
METHOD OF RESEARCH
Systematic review
SUBJECT OF RESEARCH
People
ARTICLE TITLE
High tobacco smoking rates in people with disability: An unaddressed public health issue
ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE
1-Feb-2024
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