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Teen vapers smoke just as much as youth who don't use e-cigarettes

By Lisa Rapaport

 

FILE PHOTO: A man exhales electronic cigarette vapour in a park in central Kiev, Ukraine May 12, 2017. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File Photo

 

(Reuters Health) - E-cigarettes aren't likely to keep kids away from traditional cigarettes, a U.S. study suggests.

 

Instead, researchers found, adolescents who experimented with e-cigarettes ended up smoking traditional cigarettes just as much as teens who never tried vaping.

 

"The findings show that e-cigs do nothing to deter the amount of combustible smoking in youth," said lead study author Jessica Barrington-Trimis of the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. "On the contrary, they increase the likelihood that vaping teens will start smoking."

 

In the initial phase of the study, researchers surveyed 6,258 high schoolers in Southern California and Connecticut about their vaping and smoking usage. Roughly 14 to 17 percent had used traditional cigarettes and 23 to 29 percent had tried e-cigarettes.

 

Next, researchers surveyed the teens again one year later. Overall, 7 percent of the teens who had never tried cigarettes had started smoking traditional combustible cigarettes, researchers report in Pediatrics. But the proportion was higher - at 21 percent - among the teens who had been using e-cigarettes.

 

Compared to the youth who never tried vaping, those who did were more than four times more likely to be dabbling with cigarettes or smoking one to two days a month by the end of the study.

 

And vapers were also more than three times more likely to be frequent smokers by the end of the study.

 

Teens who were using both combustible and e-cigarettes were more likely to continue using both than to switch to vaping only.

 

Big tobacco companies, including Altria Group Inc, Lorillard Tobacco Co and Reynolds American Inc, are all developing e-cigarettes. The battery-powered devices feature a glowing tip and a heating element that turns liquid nicotine and other flavorings into a cloud of vapor that users inhale.

 

Some previous research has suggested e-cigarettes might help some adult smokers cut back on traditional cigarettes or quit altogether.

 

"The research on e-cigarettes for smoking cessation among adults is mixed," said Benjamin Chaffee, a researcher at the University of California San Francisco who wasn't involved in the study. Some adults may be able to use e-cigarettes as a cessation aid, but some studies suggest vaping may make it harder to quit, he said.

 

The picture for teens is even murkier.

 

"We know very little about e-cigarettes and smoking cessation among adolescents," Chaffee added. "Smoking cessation does not appear to be a major reason that youth try e-cigarettes."

 

Instead, the current study offers fresh evidence that vaping may lure some young people to tobacco who might otherwise avoid it or make it harder for them to stop using these tobacco products once they start.

 

"These findings did not provide strong evidence of transition away from cigarette smoking as a potential public health benefit of e-cigarette use," Barrington-Trimis said by email. "Collectively, findings from this paper suggest that e-cigarette use may result in an overall adverse impact to the public health of youth and young adults."

 

The study wasn't a controlled experiment designed to prove whether or how vaping might directly lead to smoking or impact teen cigarette use.

 

Still, the results suggest vaping won't help teens stop smoking, said Janet Audrain-McGovern of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

 

"This important study tells us that youth who use e-cigarettes are more likely to continue to use combustible cigarettes after initiating," Audrain-McGovern, who wasn't involved in the study, said by email. "Youth who smoke cigarettes and use e-cigarettes do not appear to be quitting smoking."

 

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2SO9xeg Pediatrics, online November 5, 2018.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-11-06

[HappyAndRich]

Sounds like a really useful tool then.

[canuckamuck]

Now that we have vaping why not make cigarettes illegal. They are a purely harmful product responsible for millions of deaths. 

[Thingamabob]

After years of smoking at least 20 a day I turned to vaping. I stopped smoking cigarettes, and I have now stopped vaping. It certainly has worked for me, so I just don't understand the results of this study.

[Tchooptip]

20 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

After years of smoking at least 20 a day I turned to vaping. I stopped smoking cigarettes, and I have now stopped vaping. It certainly has worked for me, so I just don't understand the results of this study.

It is a study about teens, starting with vaping, not old gentlemen trying to stop smoking. 

[alex8912]

1 hour ago, Thingamabob said:

After years of smoking at least 20 a day I turned to vaping. I stopped smoking cigarettes, and I have now stopped vaping. It certainly has worked for me, so I just don't understand the results of this study.

I don’t know why someone else had to insult you. Congrats on quitting! I don’t smoke but your results are not that commmon even amongst some friends I have and the general public but for some it works great. The article also mentioned these teens smoked just one or two cigs occationally which is not much. My question to you is : Was your intention to start vaping part of a plan  to completely stop smoking? That would really help you to stop. Many people I know just want to be off cigs but not quit. Vaping also has the average user ingesting a lot more nicotine than cigs which I don’t think is really healthy but the other poisons are taken out. Good luck!

[jesimps]

I don't really believe this study and suspect ulterior motives. However, true or not, with vaping you aren't inhaling the real killer chemicals. If I were a smoker, I'd choose vaping every time.

By the way, I've seen several studies with findings in complete opposition to this one. Finally, I've been sat next to people vaping and haven't been bothered by it at all, whereas in the company of smokers my nose runs, I cough, my eyes water, I get a sore throat and my sinuses block up. It also makes me feel sick.

[Thingamabob]

After years of smoking at least 20 a day I turned to vaping. I stopped smoking cigarettes and I have now stopped vaping. It certainly has worked

[Thingamabob]

2 hours ago, Tchooptip said:

It is a study about teens, starting with vaping, not old gentlemen trying to stop smoking. 

Of course. Just adding my own experience. Thanks for your assumption that I am a gentleman by the way. Appreciated.

[Krataiboy]

It's the nicotine, a substance more addictive than heroin.

[mommysboy]

Should teens even be using them: this is surely about regulation.

[Krataiboy]

Alcohol-free beer sales are minescule - about four percent of the beer market in the US. How many vapers would there be if they couldn't still get their nicotine fix?

[mommysboy]

34 minutes ago, Krataiboy said:

It's the nicotine, a substance more addictive than heroin.

Not nearly as damaging though.  It's not the nicotine that kills people.

[mommysboy]

7 hours ago, jesimps said:

I don't really believe this study and suspect ulterior motives. However, true or not, with vaping you aren't inhaling the real killer chemicals. If I were a smoker, I'd choose vaping every time.

By the way, I've seen several studies with findings in complete opposition to this one. Finally, I've been sat next to people vaping and haven't been bothered by it at all, whereas in the company of smokers my nose runs, I cough, my eyes water, I get a sore throat and my sinuses block up. It also makes me feel sick.

From personal experience I'd say someone is much, much, more likely to quit smoking and move to vaping than vice-versa.  

[BestB]

14 hours ago, canuckamuck said:

Now that we have vaping why not make cigarettes illegal. They are a purely harmful product responsible for millions of deaths. 

Because "we" as governments all around the world collect ridiculous amount of taxes and while "we" moan about how harmful cigarettes are, we do very little in terms of research into vaping, why?because "we" as governments all around the world collect ridiculous amount of taxes.

[BestB]

3 minutes ago, mommysboy said:

From personal experience I'd say someone is much, much, more likely to quit smoking and move to vaping than vice-versa.  

As an ex smoker of 25 years of 2 packs per day, i changed to vaping over night. Not only i do not miss it and do not want to go back but my health has improved drastically.

 

No more yellow fingers and teeth. No more heavy chest cough. Getting sick less frequently and most importantly after only 1 year, had lung xray and refused to tell doctor if i was a smoker as i wanted to see what the result would be be. Result was you are not a smoker.

 

This is enough reasons to change to vaping and having nicotine free ejuice is just a bonus, so in fact i am not addicted to anything and can easily go without vaping.

[BestB]

8 hours ago, Tchooptip said:

It is a study about teens, starting with vaping, not old gentlemen trying to stop smoking. 

Only old man all started smoking when they were teens.

 

If teens started vaping, there might be a lot less old man trying to quit smoking;)

[BestB]

7 hours ago, alex8912 said:

I don’t know why someone else had to insult you. Congrats on quitting! I don’t smoke but your results are not that commmon even amongst some friends I have and the general public but for some it works great. The article also mentioned these teens smoked just one or two cigs occationally which is not much. My question to you is : Was your intention to start vaping part of a plan  to completely stop smoking? That would really help you to stop. Many people I know just want to be off cigs but not quit. Vaping also has the average user ingesting a lot more nicotine than cigs which I don’t think is really healthy but the other poisons are taken out. Good luck!

You not 100% correct there, there is a lot of juice which is nicotine free.

 

I changed to vaping because i wanted to quit smoking but struggled and i tried many times.

 

With vaping, without even realising, the flavor which i love turned out to be nicotine free.

 

Any new ones which i try, i always look for nicotine free, so what i am saying you can minimize harm to a minimum with vaping and still enjoy the clouds

[Krataiboy]

1 hour ago, mommysboy said:

Not nearly as damaging though.  It's not the nicotine that kills people.

True. But nicotine is the addictive substance which can cause vapers to become smokers. The obvious, simple answer is to take nicotine out of harmful cigarettes, which would make migration to them from vaping pointless. No prizes for guessing why this won't happen.

Edited November 6, 2018 by Krataiboy

[mommysboy]

9 hours ago, Krataiboy said:

True. But nicotine is the addictive substance which can cause vapers to become smokers. The obvious, simple answer is to take nicotine out of harmful cigarettes, which would make migration to them from vaping pointless. No prizes for guessing why this won't happen.

Have you ever smoked/vaped? Because what you say sounds mostly theoretical- vaping hits the mark, is more pleasant, and less grubby. For the most part smokers are likely to move to vaping, then possibly quitting. The other way round would be a bit unusual imo, although teens do odd things for a couple of years.

 

Also, don't forget vaping is much cheaper than smoking in most countries. I would question the validity of these findings.

[Krataiboy]

4 hours ago, mommysboy said:

Have you ever smoked/vaped? Because what you say sounds mostly theoretical- vaping hits the mark, is more pleasant, and less grubby. For the most part smokers are likely to move to vaping, then possibly quitting. The other way round would be a bit unusual imo, although teens do odd things for a couple of years.

 

Also, don't forget vaping is much cheaper than smoking in most countries. I would question the validity of these findings.

I was a moderate to heavy smoker from my late teens until I gave up, for health reasons, in my thirties. Never vaped and never will.

 

I take your point (also made by other posters) about the benefits and pleasures of vaping compared with smoking. But, assuming the US research has merit, how many vapers do you imagine would still make the switch if tobacco cigarettes were nicotine-free?

Edited November 7, 2018 by Krataiboy