Teenage girls smoke and vape as much as boys, survey shows
For a long time, smoking has been more common among boys than girls, but now the two show similar smoking and vaping behaviour. The findings come from a survey of more than 7,500 children aged 12 to 18 by VAD, the Flemish centre of expertise on alcohol and other drugs, and the Institute for Healthy Living.
Cigarette smoking among young people continues to decline, with only 19 per cent having ever smoked. The figure was 21 per cent in the previous survey and nearly 30 per cent a decade ago.
Vaping, on the other hand, is becoming increasingly popular. For the second survey in a row, e-cigarettes are more popular than traditional cigarettes: more than a quarter of young people have vaped at least once. A year ago, the figure was 3 percentage points lower.
"These trends should be closely monitored"
The differences between boys and girls has almost completely disappeared in recent years. “Girls’ tobacco use is decreasing more slowly and e-cigarette use is rising more among them than among boys,” say the researchers. “These trends should be closely monitored.”
Vaping is becoming more popular mainly because disposable e-cigarettes are readily available. “These are reasonably cheap, have a flashy design and come in different flavours. This might make them popular with young people,” the researchers say. From 2025, disposable e-cigarettes will no longer be allowed to be sold in Belgium.
Nicotine prevention
The Institute for Healthy Living advocates measures to curb the availability and sale of tobacco and e-cigarettes. For example, shopkeepers should always check that anyone buying the products is at least 18. It also wants to see more control of smoking and vaping advertising on social media and more focus on prevention of nicotine use.
E-cigarettes usually contain nicotine, which is addictive and may have an impact on brain development in young people. Short-term vaping can also cause coughing, headaches, dizziness and sore throats
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