Relevant Vapes can lead to a wide range of health effects. Some of these are well-documented. Others are still unclear.
Acute and short-to-medium vaping use seems to have no detrimental effect on lung function biomarkers (except for one study). Findings from studies measuring endothelial function and oxidative stress markers were mixed.
What is the Relevance of Vaping?
Smoking has been linked to depression, and vaping can help alleviate these symptoms. This is because nicotine, found in e-liquids, is a mild stimulant that helps regulate mood. It can also improve concentration and cognitive function. Furthermore, it can decrease cravings for cigarettes and help smokers overcome withdrawal symptoms.
However, it is important to note that while vaping does have its benefits, it also has its downsides. The aerosol inhaled from a vaporiser contains nicotine, small amounts of heavy metals and ultrafine cancer-causing particles. Therefore, it’s still not a healthy option for those who are unable to quit smoking altogether. But, a recent study has shown that for some smokers who switch to vaping, their overall health improved. This is because they may also be more likely to follow other healthy practices, such as exercising more often, eating a balanced diet and drinking less alcohol.
The findings come from a national survey of 721 teenagers aged 14 to 17 years, who were asked about their vaping habits and health behaviours. Among the participants, 49% were ever-vapers and 80% reported having access to a range of vaping products. These were mainly refills, atomisers and tanks, as well as accessories such as mouthpieces, chargers and cases. They were mostly purchased from either friends or from someone selling them (49%) or petrol stations, tobacconists and convenience stores (31%).
Vaping has been associated with a variety of positive health outcomes including lower levels of substance use, better mental health and a reduced risk of smoking-related diseases. These benefits are in contrast to the harms of smoking, which include lung disease, heart disease and cancer. This is why a growing number of smokers are turning to e-cigarettes.
Despite these health benefits, vaping is still controversial. It is under attack from anti-vaping activists who spread misinformation about its risks. Even past presidents of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco have argued that a public health message based solely on hypothetical risks is ineffective.
As a result, unless supported by policy action, education approaches will be unlikely to reduce youth vaping. The emergence of e-cigarettes as a popular substitute for traditional smoking threatens to reverse the hard-won gains made in smoking prevention and will harm the long-term health of young people.
What is the Relevance of Vaping Prevention?
Vaping hasn’t been around long enough to know what the long-term health risks are. What is known, however, is that nicotine is addictive and it can affect a developing brain. This can make it harder to stop using tobacco, increase the likelihood of starting to smoke regular cigarettes and may contribute to mental illness, a decreased ability to solve problems and concentrate and other negative effects in teens.
The FDA’s Real Cost campaign focuses on youth to prevent e-cigarette initiation and usage among teens. Since 2017, the campaign began prioritizing vaping prevention messaging to address the rapid increase in current vape product use among youth.
Research has shown that vaping messages can be effective in increasing awareness of the harms of vaping, but there is a need for more targeted and tailored messaging that is more effective in reducing youth vaping and cigarette initiation.
INDEPTH is an online program facilitated by an adult that provides young people with information about the harms of vapor products and healthy alternatives. The INDEPTH program can be delivered in one-on-one settings or within groups. It was developed to address the increasing number of adolescents who are trying vaping and who are being suspended from school for doing so.
To improve the effectiveness of INDEPTH, researchers conducted an online randomized controlled trial to measure its impact on key study variables. Participants viewed eight vaping prevention messages or a control condition and completed surveys at baseline and the 1-month follow-up. Messages were adapted from previous public health campaigns (e.g., The Real Cost). To link pre and post-curriculum surveys without revealing personal information, students created a unique code based on a combination of the first three letters of their mother’s first name, the number of their month born, and the first three letters of their favorite 5th grade teacher’s name.
This randomized experiment, which used an active control group, found that the INDEPTH vaping prevention messages significantly increased message perceptions and beliefs. In addition, the INDEPTH messaging reduced perceived harms of vaping and lowered intentions to use. Nevertheless, the results from this randomized trial are limited by structured exposure to study messages and self-reported outcomes.