PHA publishes youth vaping research

The Public Health Agency (PHA) has published new research – the ‘Behavioural insights into youth vaping in Northern Ireland’ report – which provides detailed information on the use of e-cigarettes and perceptions of vaping among young people, as well as insights into tobacco use, and will help inform the future design of targeted interventions and communications on vape use by young people. 

The research had access to the views and experiences of young people aged 11-18 years towards e-cigarette and tobacco use, and looked into their knowledge and perceptions of health risks. The findings give an insight into why young people vape and also identify barriers that may prevent them from stopping using e-cigarettes/vapes in the future.

Over 7,500 young people participated in this study, across 91 post-primary schools in Northern Ireland, and findings include that prevalence of current vape use was 46% among year 14 pupils.

The PHA collaborated with a number of key stakeholders including Cancer Focus NI, CCEA, and Bogside and Brandywell Health Forum, who were all instrumental in the success of this research project. 

Elaine Wilmot, Health Intelligence Manager at the PHA, said: “The rise of vaping among young people has become a pressing public health concern. We found that young people who vape are primarily motivated out of curiosity and by peer influences. Young people could easily access vapes, which were most commonly obtained from friends and family. 

“Young people are aware of or had experience of some of the short-term risks associated with vaping such as respiratory issues. Many were aware that vaping can cause immediate effects such as irritation to the lungs and throat, which can result in coughing and breathlessness. Some had awareness of acute effects such as dizziness or headaches. Although the majority recognised that nicotine use can lead to addiction and dependency, there is a general lack of understanding that nicotine use can increase the risk of developing or intensify mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. 

“Social media played a significant role in influencing young people’s perceptions of vaping. Content can often glamorise the activity by using celebrities and influencers to promote vaping and the perceived fun aspects which can lead to increased usage and often downplay important information about nicotine content and the health consequences associated with vaping. 

“The school environment can also have a significant role in shaping young people’s perceptions of vaping as well as enabling it. Vaping on school premises, particularly in the bathrooms, is very common and difficult to manage, and as a result young people are being regularly exposed to vaping which can contribute to it being normalised, and can result in them viewing it as an acceptable behaviour.”

Main findings of the vaping analysis

The PHA found that 98% of young people indicated that they had seen or heard of vapes before this survey. 

Overall, 15% of young people currently vape. Young people in the upper year groups were considerably more likely to be current vapers than those in the lower year groups, with year 14 pupils being 10 times more likely to be current vapers than those in year 8. Prevalence of current vape use increased though the year groups ranging from 4% among year 8 pupils, to 46% among year 14 pupils. 

The majority of vapers (76%) reported they had never smoked tobacco cigarettes before they had tried an e-cigarette for the first time, with 7% reporting they had been regularly using cigarettes.

The report shows that 33% of those who had never smoked before vaping have since experimented with cigarettes. 

When asked why young people choose to vape, 57% responded that it was “because most other people are doing it.” The other most common reasons were “because it’s a popular thing to do” and “because they wanted to look cool,” whereas, among current vapers, the most common reasons were “the curiosity of trying a vape” followed by “it’s a popular thing to do.”

The PHA also found the sharing of vapes was very common among young people, with almost three quarters of ever-vapers indicating they have shared their vape with someone else. 

Among those young people who had ever used vapes, approximately 40% reported they had experienced side effects. Common side effects reported included headaches, dizziness, breathless, coughing, lower fitness level, anxiety/stress, nausea, increased heart rate and tiredness. 

Around two thirds of current vapers (64%) had tried to quit vaping, with 55% indicating they had been successful for a period of time. Those in the upper year groups were less likely to have tried to quit vaping than those in the lower year groups. 

When asked about their willingness to stop vaping, over one third of current vapers (35%) indicated ‘yes’ they would like to stop, with 34% indicating ‘maybe’. A small proportion of current vapers indicated they would like help/support to quit vaping, with 14% stating ‘yes’ and 10% stating ‘maybe’. 

Main findings of the tobacco analysis

Overall, 9% of pupils reported having smoked a cigarette – 5% of respondents are current smokers and of these, 46% were regular smokers, 16% were occasional smokers, and 39% were experimental smokers. Among current smokers, 26% reported that they smoked daily. 

Young people in lower year groups were least likely to have tried a cigarette, with 5% of pupils in year 8–10 having tried cigarettes, compared with 17% of those in year 11–14. 

Young people living in the most deprived areas (12%) were more likely to have ever tried a cigarette, in comparison with those living in the least deprived areas (7%). 

Fifty one percent of young people reported having an immediate family member who had ever smoked cigarettes. For the vast majority of smokers, experimentation with cigarettes began in their teenage years. Of concern, 14% had tried their first cigarette at age 10, or below (primary school age). 

Colette Rogers, Strategic Lead for Tobacco Control with the PHA, concluded: “By providing information on vaping and raising awareness of the risks, we can help empower families and people working in care and education settings to have open and engaging conversations with young people to steer them away from these products. 

“Parents and guardians can play an important role in helping young people understand the risks, so they don’t choose to use products such as vapes without realising the harm they could be exposing themselves to. Don’t wait until there’s a problem before you decide to talk.

“It is important to advise young people that regardless of what they have been told, even by a close friend, that vaping is not cool and they shouldn’t start to use these products as the long-term health effects are not yet fully known.

“These findings will also help us address vaping in Northern Ireland and the services that are in place to help people quit.”

For more information visit www.pha.site/vaping