To protect young people, the UK has to “completely ban” the promotion of e-cigarettes, according to a renowned medical research organisation.
More than 4,000 youths aged 15 to 30 from the UK, India, China, and Australia participated in a study by the George Institute; many of them had never vaped before.
Of the participants from the UK, 55% stated they were interested in vaping, and 50% said they would use a vape if a friend offered them one.
In addition, they were less susceptible to the effects of vaping than Australians (87% and 83%, respectively), who were more prone to perceive that it was addictive (74%) and hazardous (67%).
The UK had the highest percentage of young people who have seen an e-cigarette advertisement (63%) compared to other nations, with Australia having the lowest percentage (30%).
Children who participated in the survey and were asked if they had ever tried vaping once or twice gave a favourable response at a rate of 11.6%, up from 5.6% in 2014.
The researchers came to the conclusion that exposure to advertising, prior tobacco use, high salaries, and having friends or family who vape all increased the risk that young people would start using e-cigarettes.
Director of the health promotion and lifestyle change programme While certain e-cigarette advertising was prohibited, Professor Simone Pettigrew of The George Institute explained that advertisements on “posters, billboards, and buses [were] still common in the UK.”
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A complete ban on e-cigarette advertising should be taken into consideration, according to Ms. Pettigrew, as it is clearly affecting how young people view these addictive and potentially hazardous goods.
Vapes are not a risk-free product and can be just as addictive, if not more so, than traditional cigarettes, according to the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH).
As experts worried that vaping was “quickly becoming an epidemic among children,” the government declared it will crack down on vape marketing to stop specifically targeting young people.
Health advocates hailed the 2019 ban on vape product promotion on Instagram as “a huge step forward”.
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