A study found that vapes were better at helping smokers quit compared to NRT, but an expert warned that there was a “hidden” population trying to quit vaping in isolation. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
A Charles Sturt University (CSU) expert has cautioned against using vapes to quit smoking, warning that too many young people are becoming addicted to electronic cigarettes.
A recent University of NSW study found vapes were better at helping smokers from socially disadvantaged background quit compared to nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) like gum or patches.
But Albury-based CSU Nursing Associate Professor Jessica Biles said her research showed the nicotine content found in vapes made it addictive for young people.
“What was really sad was that quite often, adolescents and young people were withdrawing in isolation without support,” Dr Biles said.
“So because it was a hidden thing, the vaping, often the withdrawal was hidden as well.
“There’s data out there that vapes host a much higher dose of nicotine. So young people are getting addicted quite quickly.”
Almost nine per cent of Australian adults smoke daily, but people from socially disadvantaged backgrounds are around three times more likely to smoke.
More than 60 per cent of smokers have tried to quit or smoke less, either through going cold turkey, vaping or NRT.
Professor Biles said she first realised there was a gap in the data on vaping in regional communities while working with the Albury Thunder Junior Rugby League.
“We decided to look a little bit more broadly than what was happening in Albury,” she said.
“There wasn’t a great deal of literature from the perspectives of regional people.”
On top of the enticing flavours like strawberry or salted caramel, she found that young people were often introduced to vaping by those around them. Young people wanting to “fit in” would start vaping after seeing their peers and siblings do it.
There were also “alarming findings” that they were using vapes as a coping mechanism.
“There was quite a lot of literature where young people were using it to deal with social anxiety, or for some mental health concerns that they weren’t getting support for,” she said.
Without proper support, those trying to quit are often left to deal with withdrawal symptoms by themselves.
“Some of those feelings of getting really irritable or emotional were really overwhelming, and it often led to an unsuccessful withdrawal attempt,” she said.
Dr Biles has called for the implementation of education and intervention strategies to support our young people.
“There is that need for families and caregivers to have access to public education and intervention strategies around supporting young people that are vaping,” she said.
“We really need to develop targeted cessation programs and pathways that actually support not only the physical addiction, but the social aspect to addiction as well.”
Participants in the UNSW study were given either an eight-week supply of NRT or two vaping devices and flavoured e-cigarettes. After six months, 28.4 per cent of smokers who were given vapes and e-cigarettes had quit, compared to 9.6 per cent of smokers who were given NRT.
However, more than half of the participants merely swapped their cigarettes for vapes.
“There is a vaping concern in regional communities that’s not told in the research,” Dr Biles said.
“We need to take a deeper dive into what is happening in regional communities and how we can support regional young people and adolescents.
“Not only to know the risks, but also to safely withdraw if they do find themselves addicted to vaping.”
