īecause vaping products are relatively new, their long-term health effects are still largely unknown. Such regulation can impact youth vaping behaviours significantly. Regulatory approaches to reduce youth vaping include: restricting youth-directed advertising of vaping products, banning flavoured vaping products (except tobacco flavoured), adopting a 20 mg/mL nicotine concentration limit, restricting the sale of products to adults, and restricting the use of vaping products in public places. Leading environmental risks include exposure to vaping-related marketing campaigns and easy access to vaping products at low cost.
Individual risk factors include use by peers, curiosity, the desire to experiment, a perceived lack of harmful effects from vaping, and a history of tobacco product use. Multiple factors contribute to vaping product use among youth. It is also becoming more common for adolescents and young adults who use cannabis recreationally to employ a vaping device containing cannabis. Among youth who reported vaping, the majority (87%) used liquids containing nicotine. This is nearly five times more than among adults aged 25 and older. In 2019, 36% of adolescents aged 15 to 19 reported having tried vaping at some point, with 15% having vaped in the previous 30 days. This phenomenon threatens to undermine steady decreases in the use of cigarettes and other forms of tobacco thanks to decades of work by public health. Keywords: Adolescent Cannabis Injury Nicotine Substance use Vapingĭespite an overall trend toward stable or decreasing substance use among children and adolescents in North America over the past decade, the use of vaping devices is on the rise. Recommendations for community stakeholders and policy-makers are included. Many preventive and treatment strategies used for tobacco cessation, including behavioural and pharmacological options, can be adapted to help youth quit vaping. Vaping should not be used as a smoking cessation tool for youth, due to lack of effectiveness and evidence of harm.
Youth vaping is associated with increased risk for tobacco and other substance use, mental health problems, pulmonary and cardiovascular disease, and unintentional injuries. This statement provides background information about vaping, vaping products, and related devices, discusses the short- and long-term harms known to be associated with their use, and offers prevention and cessation strategies for youth who vape or are at risk for starting. Youth vaping presents significant risks for the health and safety of Canadian children and adolescents. Nicholas Chadi, Ellie Vyver, Richard E Bélanger Canadian Paediatric Society, Adolescent Health Committee