Smoking among young people in the United States has declined at a record pace, to the lowest levels ever. At the same time, vejp use is increasing. This is according to a new study of youth and tobacco use in the US.
"The use of e-cigarettes does not seem to lead to more smoking, as we previously feared. Rather, the trend shows the opposite" says the epidemiologist Rafael Meza to Michigan News.
A research team from the University of Michigan and Georgetown University has analyzed how young people use tobacco in the United States. The study comes as more and more young people are using e-cigarettes and previous studies have suggested that vejpning is creating a new generation of smokers.
"However, while we recognize the increasing use of vejp products, interest in how young people use cigarettes and other smokeless tobacco products such as snus, chewing tobacco and cigars has declined. Especially in the last two years," the researchers write
Tobacco habits under 30
In their report "Trends in Tobacco Use Among Adolescents by Grade, Sex, and Race, 1991-2019", the US researchers have therefore taken a closer look at the situation over a longer period. The study is based on statistics on tobacco use among young people aged 12 to 18 between 1991 and 2019. It includes data from millions of American youth who responded to surveys over nearly 30 years.
According to the study, tobacco use among young people increased steadily in the 1990s, before declining in the early 2000s. However, the changes were small, ranging from 2 to 8% annually until 2012.
Then something happened.
"Smoking on the way out"
Between 2011 and 2019, daily cigarette use fell by an average of 17% annually. This was true regardless of gender, age and origin. The daily use of cigarettes in 2019 was two (2) percent among children aged 12 to 18. These are historically low figures, the researchers note.
"Smoking seems to be disappearing among young people. We see it across the ages and it seems to be a consistent trend. Young people are not as interested in cigarettes anymore," says Rafael Meza, professor of epidemiology and public health at the University of Michigan, who led the comprehensive study.
Politics has changed focus
At the same time, interest from politicians, health scientists and tobacco researchers has followed the same trend. Cigarettes are taking up less space in the debate, the researchers note.
"From focusing on cigarettes, tobacco and smoking to being more about vejpning and e-cigarettes. Tobacco policy has changed" they write in their analysis.
E-cigarettes accelerate the decline
Previous studies have also suggested that the use of e-cigarettes would increase the risk of young people starting to smoke traditional cigarettes. A so-called 'gateway effect'. But the researchers behind the study, published at the end of November, draws a completely different conclusion.
"Although the proportion of young people trying or using e-cigarettes has increased between 2011 and 2019, smoking and smokeless tobacco use has declined at a much faster rate compared to previous years. This is a clear break in the trend. And the introduction of e-cigarettes seems to have accelerated the decline," the researchers write.
Important for public health
According to the UK Public Health Agency, which has long encouraged smokers to use e-cigarettes to quit smoking, vejping can reduce the harm from smoking by 95%.
"The spread of e-cigarettes among young people is a concern. And we should address that and reverse that trend as well" says Rafael Meza. "But at the same time, it's important that the cigarette, which is a bigger concern in terms of harmfulness, is going away. And that it is happening at an accelerating pace. From a public health perspective, this is worth celebrating"
Sum vejpkollen previously reported the state of Michigan, where the study was conducted, became the first US state to temporarily ban flavored e-juices, in 2019. Similar bans are also pending in Europe, including in Denmark and The Netherlands.
