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Usage and knowledge of electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) in young people in Manchester
Harris, Maggie A Coote, Joanna H Blank, M. Girling, I.
Harris, Maggie A
Coote, Joanna H
Blank, M.
Girling, I.
Citations
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Abstract
Introduction: Electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) are vaporising devises
that allow inhalation of nicotine without the need to burn tobacco.
They were developed in the early 2000s as a safer alternative to
smoking and in 2018 approximately 5-6% adults regularly 'vaped'.
Although their promotion as an effective smoking cessation tool in
established smokers is increasingly accepted there is concern about
their use in young people as they are now available in a variety of
flavours, shapes and styles designed to appeal to children who may
never have smoked. We wanted to engage with students from our
local schools and find out how many had tried e- cigarettes and
what they knew about them.
Methods: We organised an anonymous paper survey of students
age 11-13 (year 7/8) and 16-18 (year 12/13) from 5 local schools.
Parental consent was obtained for the younger children as per our
ethics approval.
Results: A total of 557 students completed the survey. 320 were
aged 16-18 and 237 aged 11-13. Very few of the younger children
had tried e-cigs (4%) but this was much higher in the over 16s (44%).
Their knowledge about e-cigarettes was very encouraging with many
students aware the legal age for purchasing was 18, what e-vapour
could contain and the controversies around long-term side-effects
although the younger children were more likely to view e-cigs and
conventional cigarettes similarly.
Conclusion: Our project has shown that undertaking research with
local schools is achievable even with the under 16s. Regular usage
of e-cigs is very low but almost half of the 16- to 18-year-olds have
tried vaping. Most students were aware that these products are
much less harmful than conventional cigarettes but that the longterm
side-effects were still uncertain. These encouraging results
should mean that these children can make informed decisions re -e
cigarette use in the future.
Description
Date
2019
Publisher
Collections
Keywords
Type
Meetings and Proceedings
Citation
Harris M, Coote J, Blank M, Girling I. Usage and knowledge of electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) in young people in Manchester. Lung Cancer. 2019;127:S71-S.