New research has shown that Australian teenagers who have vaped are significantly more likely to take up smoking, putting Australia’s youngest most at risk.
The study published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health last week determined the association between vaping and subsequent smoking, in young Australians aged 12 to 17.
Lead author from the article, Sam Egger, said it’s the first study of its kind in Australia, using Generation Vape survey data from over 5,100 teenagers.
“Even after accounting for other factors that could influence the likelihood that a young person would try vapes or tobacco, we found that teenagers aged 12-17 who had vaped are five times more likely to start smoking in the future than those who had not,” Mr Egger said.
“The link was strongest for adolescents at the younger end of the 12 to 17 age range. The younger a person started using vapes, the higher their increased risk that they would subsequently try smoking. We found that 12-year-olds who had vaped were 29 times more likely to go on to try smoking than 12-year-olds who had not vaped,” he said.
For some parents, the connection between vaping and smoking hits close to home. Melissa Renfrew, a mother who vapes, said that she worries about the effect that her addiction may have on the health and decisions of her teenage children.
“I hope they never start to vape or smoke and remind them of the damage smoking did to many of our relatives that died from emphysema,” she said.
The study reinforces the importance of the vaping reforms introduced earlier this year, and now need to be further implemented according to Associate Professor Becky Freeman, from the University of Sydney.
“Public health experts have warned that teenage vaping uptake has the potential to undo the positive progress Australia has made in reducing smoking. This latest study shows how real that threat is.”
“Our Australian teenage ever-smoking rates dropped from 58 per cent in 1996, to 14 per cent in 2023. But recent data has suggested a possible increase in teenage smoking over the same time period that vape use has exploded,” she said.
If you or someone you know needs help to stop vaping, don’t hesitate to contact Quitline on 13 QUIT or 13 7848.