Children are increasingly exposed to e-cigarettes on display in shops – and are more likely to buy from small shops.
According to a new study by Imperial College London, the researchers found increases in the proportion of children reporting that they had seen vapes on display in shops.
By contrast, the children reported seeing fewer tobacco cigarettes for sale – although over half of respondents had still noticed these.
The study used data from the annual Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) survey of youth vaping, collected over five years from 2018 to 2022.
Analysing responses from almost 12,500 11 to 18 year olds, in 2022, 66% of children reported seeing e-cigarettes in supermarkets compared with 57% in 2018.
For tobacco products, the likelihood of noticing these fell from 81% to 66% for small shops and from 67% to 59% in supermarkets.
Researchers also examined where children were buying these products from and whether that changed over time.
Findings showed that around 50% of children bought tobacco products from small shops and 25% from supermarkets.
In addition, 57% of 11 to 13 year olds who smoked tobacco reported buying it from small shops, whereas 55% of 11 to 13 year olds reported buying e-cigarettes in small shops. As well as this, children who vaped were more likely to buy e-cigarettes in small shops in 2022 (51%) than they were in 2019 (34%).
Dentistry’s top stories
Out of sight and reach
Published in the journal Tobacco Control, the researchers say their findings highlight a need for greater attention on the promotion and sale of tobacco and e-cigarette products to children.
Leading the research was Dr Anthony Laverty from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London. He said: ‘These results highlight high levels of exposure to tobacco and e-cigarettes among children as well as the ease of accessing these products.
‘This is despite legislation prohibiting sales to minors. There needs to be greater enforcement of existing laws on the display of tobacco, as well as action to stem e-cigarette advertising and put vapes out of sight and reach of children.’
Hazel Cheeseman, deputy chief executive of ASH, added: ‘Quantifying the impact on children of the growing promotion of vapes is crucial to determine the scale of the problem and how best it can be addressed.
‘This analysis shows that in-store promotion has the biggest impact. This is why ASH is advocating that the promotion and display of e-cigarettes in shops is prohibited, as should the child friendly packaging and labelling of vapes.’
Follow Dentistry.co.uk on Instagram to keep up with all the latest dental news and trends.
