VAPE ALERT
How your child’s vaping could be a sign of an underlying mental health problem
Figures reveal what proportion of early teens are vaping in the UK
DOES your child vape?
Chances are unless you've caught them in the act, it may be kept from you.
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But a new study has shed light on what may lead youngsters to try e-cigs in the first place.
Scientists looked at data from over 5,000 kids in Year 7 and 8 (12 to 14-year-olds) from 40 schools in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia in 2023.
Some 8.3 per cent of adolescents reported having used e-cigarettes before, according to the findings in the Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry.
Vaping was 74 per cent higher for students who reported moderate stress, and 64 per cent higher for people who reported high levels of stress.
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It was also twice as common for students who reported low well being compared to high well being.
Depressed kids were also more likely to vape.
Youngsters who reported severe symptoms were over twice as likely to have tried vapes, compared to those with no history of depression, the findings show.
Anxiety symptoms showed no correlation.
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Researchers from OurFutures Vaping Trial say mental ill-health and vaping are both increasing among young people.
Co-lead on the project Dr Lauren Gardner, from the University of Sydney’s Matilda Centre, said: “More research is needed to understand the complex relationship between mental health and vaping, however these findings highlight the urgent need for prevention and early intervention approaches, backed by evidence, to support both the short- and long-term health and wellbeing of young people.”
Disposable vapes to be BANNED to stop children 'getting addicted'
The Matilda Centre previously found the average age a teenager in Australia begins to vape is 14.
Co-author associate professor, Dr Emily Stockings said: “In the short term, nicotine may reduce feelings of anxiety and stress, and young people may be reaching for vapes as a coping mechanism.
“Regardless of whether mental ill-health influences smoking or vice-versa, it is clear that if we are to prevent vaping onset, we need to address mental health at the same time.”
In the UK, almost one in five 11 to 17-year-olds had tried vaping in 2024.
The figure is stable since 2023 but has risen from 13.9 per cent in 2020.
The most common reason for vaping was ‘Just to give it a try’ (35 per cent), while 7.3 per cent said ‘I think it helps me with stress or my mental health’, according to The ASH Smokefree GB Youth Survey.
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When it comes to adults, one in 10 are now long-term vapers - more than six months - according to research by University College London.
Health experts say vaping is safer than smoking and an important way for addicts to quit, but may be risky for never-smokers.
Smoking vs. vaping
VAPING has been touted as an effective tool to help people quit smoking.
Though vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking, the habit isn't completely harmless and comes with its own set of risks.
The NHS only recommends it for adult smokers, to support quitting smoking.
GP and author Dr Philippa Kaye explained to The Sun that the differences between vaping and smoking - and whether one is better than the other - is "complicated".
"In a nutshell, vaping is better than smoking, but breathing air is better than vaping at all."
Vaping exposes users to far fewer toxins - and at lower levels - than smoking cigarettes.
Switching to vaping significantly reduces your exposure to toxins that can cause cancer, lung disease, and diseases of the heart and circulation like heart attack and stroke.
These diseases are not caused by nicotine, which is relatively harmless to health. But research has still linked vaping to a higher risk of failure and lung disease.
Health risks of cigarettes
- Smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to develop heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer
- Smokers are at greater risk for diseases that affect the heart and blood vessels
- Smoking can cause lung disease by damaging your airways and the small air sacs
- Smoking can cause cancer almost anywhere in your body
- It affects overall health too, such as your mouth, eyes, immune system and fertility
Health risks of vaping
- They can cause side effects such as throat and mouth irritation, headache, cough and feeling sick
- They could lead to tooth decay
- They could damage heart health
- They could cause lung disease
- They could slow brain development
Read more on how vaping can affect your health here.
Sources: NHS, CDC
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