E-cigarettes: Gateway or roadblock to cigarette smoking?

[Alex]

E-cigarettes: Gateway or roadblock to cigarette smoking?
June 17, 2016

Credit: TheNorlo/Wikipedia

A new study from the UK Centre for Substance Use Research, being presented today at the Global Forum on Nicotine, shows e-cigarettes are playing an important role in reducing the likelihood of young people smoking, in many cases acting as a 'roadblock' to combustible tobacco.


In detailed qualitative interviews with young people aged 16 to 25 across Scotland and England, the majority of participants viewed e-cigarettes as having reduced - not increased - the possibility of both themselves and other people smoking.

"There was very little indication amongst the young people interviewed that e-cigarettes were resulting in an increased likelihood of young people smoking," said Dr Neil McKeganey who led the research. "In fact the majority we interviewed, including those who were vaping, perceived smoking in very negative terms and saw vaping as being entirely different to smoking."

During one interview, an eighteen year-old commented: "I think vaping is having an effect on smoking cigarettes in that it's taking away from it. People are moving off cigarettes and moving onto vaping." Another said: "I think if vaping becomes more common, then smoking is going to become more uncommon because it's the aspect of quitting. I think vaping will replace smoking".

Importantly, the overwhelming majority of participants - who collectively represented current and former smokers, non-smokers, and e-cigarette users - viewed tobacco as 'extremely harmful' and believed e-cigarettes offered smokers an alternative.

Many also said they thought "vaping will make smoking decline."

Asked whether the opposite might happen; that e-cigarettes might actually lead to smoking, one nineteen year-old said: "I think it's usually people who are trying to stop smoking who vape. I mean there is the odd person who does it because it's cool and that might influence them to want to try smoking, but I think on the whole it's the other way round. It's people vaping who have given up smoking".

Despite the acute awareness of the harms of tobacco however, it was evident that some young people remain confused about e-cigarettes and whether or not they are similarly harmful. Some mentioned they had seen media coverage reporting that e-cigarettes "are just as bad" as smoking and, as a result, they were uncertain and reluctant about using the devices.

"While it is encouraging to see that young people appear to be quite clear about the role of e-cigarettes in society (devices used by smokers who are trying to - or already have - quit tobacco)," said McKeganey "It's more concerning, particularly for the young people who currently smoke, that inaccurate perceptions of e-cigarettes could result in the persistent use of combustible tobacco irrespective of the fact that Public Health England has concluded vaping is 95% less harmful than conventional cigarettes."

Where concerns were expressed around e-cigarettes, they were mostly about the uncertainty of long term use: "It took over 40 years for them to find out that smoking was really bad for you so I don't know whether they will come out with something in the long term that will say 'it's bad for you'," said one participant. "I don't think it's going to be any worse than smoking, but for people who don't smoke and who are vaping, I'd say there was a question mark over whether or not it's good or bad in the long term."

This level of uncertainty was shared by others, too; a fact McKeganey finds concerning. "What was apparent is that this persistent view, expressed by some young people, that vaping was just as harmful as smoking, was resulting in some young people continuing to smoke when they might otherwise have quit."

"But what was equally clear from our research is that the much debated 'Gateway' theory is not materialising. There was nothing to suggest that youngsters see vaping as a stepping stone to smoking - quite the opposite."

Explore further: Youth just as likely to try e-cigarettes as smoking

Provided by: UK Centre For Substance Use Research

source: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-06-e-cigarettes-gateway-roadblock-cigarette.html

 

[RichJB]

This is an interesting field and different countries are reporting different results. In the links that lead off the article above, Canada reports:

Young people are just as likely to try electronic cigarettes as smoking, according to a new report from the Propel Centre for Population Health Impact at the University of Waterloo.

The findings, published today in Tobacco Use in Canada: Patterns and Trends, reveal that approximately 20 per cent of youth between the ages of 15 and 19 experiment with vaping, the same number who try cigarettes.

However, it doesn't say how much overlap there is. Are the 20% of youth who try vaping completely separate from the 20% who try smoking, is there a significant number that try both, a slight overlap, a moderate overlap?

Then a further link gives the result of an American study:

More than a quarter of a million young people who had never smoked a cigarette used e-cigarettes in 2013, said the findings from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That represents a threefold increase over the number that tried the electronic devices in 2011, it said in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research.

I suspect it is true that quite a lot of young vapers aren't existing smokers. I know two teenagers who have never smoked cigarettes but started smoking a shisha pipe. So, from my experience, the notion that all people who try alternatives to smoking are smokers looking for something new, or to quit, is not accurate. These alternative forms of smoking do seem to be attracting at least some people who aren't smokers.

However, in order to give societal meaning to the scientific research, one would have to try and determine what vapers-who-never-smoked would have done if vaping hadn't been invented/available. Would they have done nothing? Would their natural curiosity have led them towards shisha pipes, cigarettes, drugs, alcohol? We don't know. Until we do know, I don't think the current research figures are telling us much.

 

[PsyCLown]

I can't speak for everyone, however I can speak for myself and my views / opinions.

I have never smoked cigarettes. Never had any desire to, it tastes bad, smells, is expensive and not good for ones health. I never saw the point and still do not see the point. I do however vape, 0mg nicotine though. I tried hubbly but I was never a big fan and such a mission, vaping in my opinion is far superior to a hubbly. I won't get into alcohol / drugs as I feel vaping has nothing in common with those and that they are not related (apart from the nicotine).

I do think a lot of teenagers who have never smoked before will try vaping, however I do not see it as a bad thing as it is far better for ones health than smoking cigarettes. Chances are most won't even go for juice with nicotine in it as it is harsh and burns ones throat - especially if you are not use to it. Also nicotine juice is not recommended for tricks or cloud chasing and if you are not trying to get off smoking cigarettes, what is the point to having nicotine? I was in a vape shop recently where I overheard a group of friends in their late teens discussing vaping and how none of them like nicotine and it is too harsh for them and how all of them only vape 0mg juice.

I do not believe it will lead people to smoking cigarettes, vaping is way cooler! Especially amongst the younger crowd (at least that is how I feel), the hype and popularity it has gained in the past few years is crazy! Yes there are some haters, but haters are gonna hate as always.
With vaping there are many different sides, flavour chasing, coil building, cloud chasing, DIY juices so it can turn into a hobby as well. I have never heard of anything cigarette related turning into a hobby... People just smoke them.

 

[shaunnadan]

Interesting read

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