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Majority of teens are not vaping regularly, global study suggests

One in 60 teenager vaped for more than ten days in the previous month.(Photo by Ruslan Alekso via Pexels) One in 60 teenager vaped for more than ten days in the previous month.(Photo by Ruslan Alekso via Pexels)
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A new global study suggests that the majority of vaping teens are not using the products regularly.

One in 60 teenagers, or 1.7 per cent, vaped for more than ten days in the previous month, according to the study published in the journal Addiction.

The study, published on May 11, suggests that the majority of vaping teens are only trying out e-cigarettes or not using them regularly.

But researchers also said that one in 12, or 8.6 per cent of teenagers, reported vaping in the previous 30 days, indicating that it is still a popular, if occasional, recreational activity for many participants.

Data provided by 51,960 adolescents (typically aged 13 to 15) between 2015 to 2018 was looked at for the study.

The participants come from 47 high, low and middle-income countries to test the association between the implementation of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) tobacco control policies and adolescent vaping.

“Prevalence rates of frequent vaping among young people are low globally,” said the study’s lead author Gary C. K. Chan.

“However, we need to have comprehensive policies, such as strict enforcement of age restrictions, taxation, limiting nicotine concentrations, and advertising bans, to prevent uptake among young people.”

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