Vaping in young people linked to smoking and other health risks

Young people who vape are three times as likely to start smoking, be diagnosed with asthma and have poor mental health as those who do not, according to a study that lays bare the health impacts of e-cigarettes.

- Rachel Hall

Vaping among teens and young people is consistently linked to going on to smoke, according to the review of all the evidence conducted so far, which warns that e-cigarettes could act as a gateway to smoking.

Researchers found associations with other consequences, including heightened risks of asthma, cough, injuries and mental ill health, as well as possibly pneumonia, bronchitis, headaches, migraine, dizziness, low sperm count, poor mouth health, and marijuana and alcohol use.

Su Golder, associate professor in health science at the University of York and an author of the research, said: "The consistency is striking. Across multiple studies, young people who use e-cigarettes are more likely to smoke in the future."

The researchers concluded that although it isn't yet possible to definitively say vaping leads children to smoke, policymakers must act to restrict sales and marketing of vapes to young people.