About one in five respondents use e-cigarettes at least monthly and one in ten use them every day.
According to research from The George Institute for Global Health, 15 to 30 year olds in the UK who perceived vapes as harmful were 40% less likely to use them compared to those who do not consider them harmful.
Yet only 53% of those using e-cigarettes at least monthly said they had seen warning labels on packaging.
Around 20% respondents reported currently using e-cigarettes at least monthly (with 90% having used ones containing nicotine), and one in ten used them every day.
Key driver
The new findings – published in the Journal of Public Health – were based on a survey of more than 1,000 individuals.
Dr Ana-Catarina Pinho-Gomes, honorary research fellow at The George Institute, led the research. She said: ‘Our findings suggest that peer behaviour is a key driver of e-cigarette use, while awareness of the harms of vaping is a deterrent.
‘Awareness-raising campaigns aimed at young people (such as at schools and college) and on social media are needed to highlight the known risks of e-cigarette use, as well as uncertainty over their long-term health impacts.’
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Education campaigns
Dr Pinho-Gomes added: ‘The UK government must build on these findings by raising awareness of the potential harms of vaping, both to health and the environment, through public education campaigns and through tighter regulation around packaging and labelling.
‘Although e-cigarettes may help with smoking cessation, their use by non-smokers, particularly young people should be strongly discouraged. Until further evidence is available on their long-term consequences, a precautionary approach is advisable and UK government should consider the cautious approach to their regulation adopted by other countries, such as Australia.’
Vapes on sale
This comes as 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.
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