Europe, UK (Commonwealth Union) – A new study by UCL researchers reveals that overall nicotine use among adults in England has increased since the rise in popularity of disposable vapes. This surge is primarily driven by a significant uptick in vaping among young adults, despite a modest overall decline in smoking.
The most substantial declines in smoking were observed in age groups experiencing the largest increases in vaping. Published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, the study found that the percentage of 18- to 24-year-olds who vape tripled from 9% in May 2021 to 29% in May 2023. During the same period, smoking rates in this group fell from 25% to 21%, leading to an increase in overall nicotine use from 28% to 35%.
In older age groups, increases in vaping were smaller, accompanied by smaller or no declines in smoking. For instance, vaping prevalence among those over 45 years old rose slightly from 5% to 6%, while smoking prevalence increased from 12% to 14%.
Notably, vaping among young adults who had never smoked increased sharply from 2% to 9%.
The researchers analyzed survey responses from 132,252 adults in England between July 2016 and May 2023, contrasting trends in vaping, smoking, and overall nicotine use before and after the introduction of popular disposable e-cigarettes in June 2021.
Dr. Harry Tattan-Birch, lead author from the UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, indicated that the swift increase in vaping would be less worrisome if it were accompanied by a more significant decline in smoking rates. The overall rise in nicotine use indicates that this has not been the case.
“Instead, driven by the arrival of highly popular disposable e-cigarettes, vaping has become much more common among young people, some of whom would likely otherwise have avoided nicotine entirely. Given these findings, the UK government’s current Tobacco and Vapes Bill to reduce youth vaping is welcome.”
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, introduced this year, proposes a crucial measure: banning sales of tobacco to anyone who turns 15 or younger this year.
