A research project to study the long-term health effects of vaping on children will track 100,000 young people aged eight to 18 over the course of a decade, the government has announced.
Data will be collected on behaviour and health records to understand ‘what affects young people’s health and wellbeing, including the impact of vaping’, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) states. While vaping is a proven tool to help adults successfully quit smoking, rates of youth vaping have ‘skyrocketed’ in recent years, says the department, with a quarter of 11 to 15-year-olds now having tried it.
The long-term impacts of youth vaping are still ‘not fully known’ and the research will give the most comprehensive picture yet, the government says, as well as providing health professionals and policymakers the ‘robust evidence they need to protect the next generation from the potential health risks’.
A study by Brighton and Sussex Medical School published earlier this month, however, found that many young people still mistakenly believed that vaping is ‘as bad for you or worse’ than smoking, and called for action to address these ‘pervasive misconceptions’ (https://www.drinkanddrugsnews.com/misinformation-deterring-young-people-from-switching-to-vaping/).
The government’s tobacco and vapes bill, which is currently making its way through Parliament (https://www.drinkanddrugsnews.com/tobacco-and-vapes-bill-introduced-to-parliament/), contains plans to tackle youth vaping by tightening the legislation around packaging, flavouring and displays designed to appeal to children. Disposable vapes will also be banned from June this year under separate legislation (https://www.drinkanddrugsnews.com/government-to-ban-disposable-vapes/), further reducing vaping’s appeal to young people, the government states.
‘With vaping on the rise among young people, it is crucial that we develop a solid evidence base to better understand its health impacts, and help ensure we protect and support the next generation,’ said CEO of the National Institute for Health and Care Research and chief scientific adviser to the Department of Health and Social Care, Lucy Chappell. ‘By investing in important research such as this we give young people, parents, and policymakers the knowledge they need to make informed decisions and safeguard long-term health.’
‘We know that vaping can be a useful tool to quit smoking, but it’s crucial we have clear evidence on the long-term health harms, especially for young people,’ added public health minister Ashley Dalton.