Education is the Key to Reduce Underage Vaping: Experts

Given the rise in teenagers' use of tobacco products, especially e-cigarettes, experts have called for education to curb the menace of vaping.

Experts have called for education to curb the menace of vaping as the use of tobacco products, especially e-cigarettes soar among teenagers.

The group of medical professionals at the healthcare meet also came down heavily on advertisers of such products. Vaping is blamed for 37 deaths in the US, where the problem is spiraling with nearly 1,900 other people who have suffered from vaping-related ailments.

Vaping - Related Deaths on the Rise in United States
Vaping-related lung disease nearly doubled, and about 450 cases in 33 states have been recorded with at least five deaths. Several teens are in coma and hundreds sick in the U.S. Medical experts are discouraging the use of these devices, as investigation continues.

‘Experts have called for education based on facts and not on emotions and increased regulation on retailers to curb the menace of vaping. ’
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Eighty percent of those affected are under 35, and 16 percent are younger than 18.

Carrie Wade, director of Harm Reduction Policy for the R. Street Institute, a think-tank based in Washington, told Efe that in the US, e-cigarette advertising campaigns "make these products look fun."

Participants at the Medicine 2040 - Rewriting the Future of Healthcare event in Tel Aviv agreed on Tuesday the necessity of giving people accurate information on any matter related to public health.

E-cigarettes Not Recommended for Smokers Who wish to Quit the Habit
The anti-tobacco advocacy group, ASH Ireland has advised quitters to instead use nicotine patches or gums instead of e-cigarettes.

Research by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revealed that in all of the cases so far, vaping products had been mixed with THC, the main psychoactive component of marijuana.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a report that shows 27.5 percent of high school students use electronic cigarettes, up from 20.8 percent in 2018, and 11.7 percent in 2017, the Efe reported.

Flavorings Used in E-Cigarettes Can Up Your Risk for Heart Disease
Flavoring liquids such as cinnamon and menthol used in electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes are not safe and may increase the risk of heart disease when inhaled.

Wade says it's necessary to review federal regulations and create "a greater barrier between students and adults," by raising the minimum age for purchasing tobacco products from 18 to 21 and requiring sellers to request identification.

In the UK, one of the countries with the toughest restrictions on tobacco, the National Health Service NHS says on its official website that electronic cigarettes can aid in quitting smoking, but are not a comprehensive solution.

Knowledge of E-Cigarettes Varies Among Physicians
Effectiveness of E-cigarettes as an alternative to cigarettes is questionable as there is very little research done to study health risks or benefits of E-cigarettes.

The British government has set an objective for 2022 of reducing the proportion of smokers from 8 percent to 3 percent among minors, and from 15.5 percent to 12 percent among, Dr. Vicki Myers-Gamliel said.

To achieve that goal, "it is better to have regulations and studies based on the harm, instead of leaving everything in the hands of free choice without information," Israeli physician Dov Gavish said.

The FDA and the UK's Royal Society of Public Health have published studies showing higher levels of toxins are released by conventional cigarettes compared with e-cigarettes and other non-combustion devices.

"We know that some people do not want to quit smoking, it would be best if they did, but if not, we must find solutions that are less risky," Gavish said.

Source-IANS