Children using e-cigs are 12 times as likely to smoke

CHILDREN who try e-cigarettes are 12 times more likely to smoke tobacco, research has found.

Scientists have uncovered strong evidence of a so-called ‘gateway effect’, according to the first UK study of its kind.

Yet public health officials in England have been promoting e-cigarettes as a safe way of quitting smoking.

Researchers from King’s College London and Cancer Research UK looked at 1,152 children aged 11 to 18, who were subsequently followed for four to six months.

At the beginning, a total of 11.4 per cent had tried e-cigarettes and 19.8 per cent had used ordinary tobacco cigarettes.

After between four and six months, those who had tried an e-cig were 12 times more likely to move on to tobacco cigarettes compared with children who had never used them.

Experts are worried about the longterm effects of e-cigarettes. The findings of the study, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, are being circulated among academics and council officials.

Katie East, lead author of the study from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London, said: ‘These findings do suggest that some young people progress from trying e-cigarettes to trying tobacco cigarettes, but also that some go from trying cigarettes to e-cigarettes.’

Around 2.9million adults in the UK use e-cigarettes, while 7.6million smoke ordinary cigarettes.