Vaping Rates Surge Among Non-Smokers in England, New Study Reveals
A recent study published in the Lancet Public Health journal has revealed that approximately one million adults in England who did not regularly smoke have taken up vaping, marking a dramatic sevenfold increase since 2021. The surge is predominantly among young adults, with 14% of non-regular smokers aged 18 to 24 now using e-cigarettes.
Sarah Jackson, the study’s lead author and a principal research fellow at University College London’s Alcohol and Tobacco Research Group, emphasized that the health implications of these findings depend on whether these individuals would have smoked tobacco if vaping were not an option. “It is likely that some would have smoked if vaping were not an available option. In this case, vaping is clearly less harmful,” Jackson stated. However, she cautioned that for those who would not have smoked, sustained vaping could pose more risks than abstaining altogether.
The research, which analyzed survey data from over 153,000 adults collected between 2016 and 2024, found that about 60% of participants identified as non-regular smokers, having never smoked for a year or more. Prior to 2021, only 0.5% of non-smokers reported vaping, but this figure surged to 3.5% afterward. The popularity of new disposable e-cigarettes, which gained traction in 2020 and 2021, contributed to this increase.
Peter Hajek, a professor at Queen Mary University of London, pointed out that while some individuals are discovering vaping without prior smoking experience, it is likely that they would have turned to cigarettes had vaping not been available. “If much less risky alternatives are allowed to continue to compete with cigarettes, smoking and its associated health risks will continue to decline,” he added.
As of now, the smoking rate in the UK stands at approximately 12.9%, a significant decrease since the 1970s. E-cigarettes are often seen as a smoking cessation tool and were the most popular method for quitting in 2020. Hajek also noted the necessity to limit nicotine product use among adolescents, but he suggested that increased adult vaping could be positive, provided it replaces smoking.
The study highlighted a correlation between heavy drinking and vaping, with about 22% of heavy drinkers reporting they vape, compared to just 3% of light drinkers and 1.3% of non-drinkers.
As the UK government considers stricter regulations on e-cigarettes, the study raises questions about balancing efforts to minimize vaping among non-smokers while still supporting smokers who wish to quit. A spokesperson from the Department of Health and Social Care remarked, “Vapes can be an effective way for adult smokers to quit, but we have always been clear that children and adult non-smokers should not vape.”
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