Rise in young vaping
Promotional material in shops is linked to uptake, claims survey
MARKETING of e-cigarettes in Scottish shops has been linked with a rise in youngsters vaping.
The number of stores with purpose-built displays for e-cigarettes more than doubled in a year, with in excess of one-third locating them near products which interest the young, according to a study by the University of Stirling.
Those who had noticed the promotional material were more likely to have tried vaping, the research said. The study of almost 4,000 people aged 11 to 18 found those who recalled seeing e-cigarette displays in small shops were twice as likely to have used one.
It is the first time links between the retail environment and young people’s use of e-cigarettes have been studied in this fashion.
Professor Sally Haw, from the university, said: “What we have to do is balance promoting e-cigarettes as a potential way to reduce the harms of smoking, at the same time as protecting children from being initiated into e-cigarette use.”
Ms Haw said that e-cigarettes had become much more visible on the high street since 2013. The study’s audit of almost 100 shops found those with special e-cigarette displays rose from 20 per cent in 2013 to 49 per cent in 2014. Almost half, she said, had positioned them near products such as sweets and icy drinks which interest the young.
As well as being promoted as a quit aid, she said, e-cigarettes are being promoted as a lifestyle choice which makes them attractive to the younger end of the market.
The survey of youngsters aged 11 to 18 was conducted in 2015 and found that more than 75 per cent were aware of them, 20 per cent had tried them and eight per cent intended to try one in the next six months. Those who remembered displays in shops and supermarkets were more likely to have experimented with e-cigarettes. Intention to try one was also significantly more common among those who recalled the stands, according to researchers who have published their findings in the journal BMC Public Health.
Ms Haw said: “The majority of those who said that they had tried were smokers, and we found that reassuring.
“Nevertheless, there was a small proportion of people who had never tried tobacco who had experimented with e-cigarettes.”
Fellow public-health researcher Dr Catherine Best said: “It is currently unclear whether young people who plan to try e-cigarettes do so because they notice e-cigarettes at point of sale or whether they notice e-cigarettes because they intend to try them in the future. Until this association is established, we need to consider how to balance promoting the benefits of e-cigarettes for adult smokers who want to quit with the need to discourage children from experimenting with these products.”
A bill has gone through the Scottish Parliament bringing in an age restriction of 18 for e-cigarette purchases, but it does not ban in-store marketing.
The study, funded by the National Institute for Health Research, is a six-year collaborative project between the universities of Stirling, St Andrews and Edinburgh and ScotCen Social Research.