Perceptions and use of E-Cigarettes Amongst Adolescents

Abstract

There has been a significant increase in the use of e-cigarettes by children and young people (CYP) with 20% experimenting with vaping.1 This is of concern due to the addictive effects of nicotine on this age group and the unknown long-term effects of e-cigarettes. The particular effects of vaping on the lungs of CYP with chronic respiratory issues are also unknown. We sought to explore perceptions of vaping amongst CYP with a chronic respiratory diagnosis attending our tertiary respiratory service. Method A voluntary anonymous QR code questionnaire was provided to CYP (age 11 -18 years) attending our cystic fibrosis (CF) and asthma clinics between November 2022 and April 2023. We also provided the same questionnaire to patients attending diabetes clinic, to explore if there were any differences between those with and without a chronic respiratory diagnosis. Results 32 CYP responses were collated: 47% no respiratory condition, 34% CF, 12% asthma and 6% stated 'another respiratory condition'. 3 patients (9%) vaped regularly, 6 patients (19%) had experimented with vapes and 72% did not vape. Of the 3 patients that vaped regularly 2 patients did not have a respiratory condition and 1 had 'another respiratory condition'. Of the 6 patients who had tried a vape 3 had an underlying respiratory diagnosis. The perceived safety of vapes and cigarettes is shown in figure 1. There was no difference in the safety perception of vapes between those with and without a respiratory diagnosis. Discussion Compared to data from ASH, a similar percentage of CYP in our service experiment with vaping. These limited data suggest that the safety perception of e-cigarettes amongst CYP in our clinic is not affected by having an underlying chronic respiratory condition. This may or may not be extrapolated into a personal decision whether or not to vape in this patient group - but does suggest that more work needs to be done to highlight the risks generally to CYP and in particular to those with an underlying respiratory condition.