One in 3 children has tried vaping
Experts call for ban on advertising of e-cigarettes
MORE than a third of schoolchildren in Scotland have tried e-cigarettes – and advertising vaping products should be banned, research suggests.
The percentage of young people who had used an e-cigarette increased from 14.3 per cent in 2014 to 33.7 per cent in 2017.
In contrast, only 21.1 per cent tried cigarettes in 2017, according to a fiveyear study led by experts from the University of Stirling.
The research into young people’s attitudes to smoking also concluded that a ban on tobacco displays in shops had been a ‘great success’.
But the study expressed concern that shop signs showing that tobacco products are available to buy ‘are still highly visible, particularly in retail outlets in areas of deprivation’.
Professor Sally Haw, of the university’s Faculty of Health
Sciences and Sport, said the research would help to ‘inform future policy developments’.
She is calling for new regulations on the size, design and position of tobacco storage units in shops, in addition to policies to encourage parents not to smoke in front of their children.
The study found evidence that the emergence of e-cigarettes ‘may have disrupted the full impact’ of the legislation preventing tobacco displays, and consequently it recommends a similar ban on e-cigarette advertising.
The pupils’ ability to recall e-cigarette adverts was ‘a significant predictor of future e-cigarette use’, according to the study.
Those who had tried vaping were more likely to take up smoking tobacco, it said.
Sheila Duffy of anti-smoking charity Ash Scotland, said: ‘I welcome this important research, which underlines the world-leading measures being taken in Scotland to close down the visibility of tobacco and protect young people from a predatory industry.’
A ban on the open display of tobacco products at the point of sale was introduced in Scotland in 2013. Across the UK, smaller stores had until 2015 to adapt their displays accordingly.
University of Stirling researchers led the DISPLAY study – funded by the National Institute for Health Research – which also involved experts from the Universities of Edinburgh and St Andrews. The study, which involved children aged 12-17, is published in the Public Health Research journal.
The Scottish Government said it was taking the ‘strictest regulatory approach in Europe’ to vaping products.
A spokesman added: ‘Scotland [has] introduced a mandatory age-verification scheme and statutory registration for retailers. This year we will consult on introducing a complete ban on the advertising and promotion of vapour products.’
The World Health Organisation has warned that e-cigarettes are ‘not safe’ and vaping is particularly risky for the developing brains of teenagers.
‘More likely to take up smoking’