Third of teens who vape will go on to smoke, research finds

A third of UK teenagers who vape will go on to start smoking, research has found, meaning they are as likely to smoke as their peers were in the 1970s.

- Rachel Hall

A long-term study has found that the likelihood of starting to smoke among people aged 17 in 2018 was about 1.5% if they did not vape, compared with 33% if they did.

The findings suggest that e-cigarettes are acting as a "gateway" to nicotine cigarettes for children, undermining the falling rates of teen smoking over the past 50 years.

The study looked at teenagers in 2018, the most recent year for which there was comparable data. The likelihood may have increased since then given that vaping and smoking rates among teenagers have both risen.

The academics said that although the research did not establish a causal link their findings were "especially concerning" given the rising popularity of vaping, "despite some initial assurances that e-cigarettes would have little appeal to [adolescents]".