Despite a decreasing rate of tobacco and cigarette smoking in the UK, there has been a rapid rise in the number of people who are using e-cigarettes and vapes including a younger demographic due to the varied flavours used in these products. Although the levels of nicotine that are present in these products can vary widely, it is usually significantly less than the amount delivered through smoking traditional tobacco products. A vast majority of published research into the short-term effects of vaping suggest that it is much less harmful than smoking, although it is not risk free and is only recommended for adults who are trying to quit smoking and stay smoke free.

Unfortunately, at the time of writing, there is little to no data at a local authority level regarding vaping. As well as this, there is also short supply of research into the long-term effects of vaping. For this section, we will be looking at national figures and use them to model best estimates for Bexley to try to gain some perspective on the problem at hand.

Children

A report published in 2023 by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) showed that in March/April 2023, the proportion of children (aged between 11-17 years old, unless otherwise specified) experimenting with vaping had grown by 50% year on year, from 7.7% to 11.1%. Children’s awareness of vaping has also increased, with more than half of all children reporting seeing vapes and e-cigarettes being advertised and sold in shops. Only 20% of children say that they never see vapes promoted; in 2022 that figure was 31%.

In 2020, ASH reported that 13.9% of children had tried vaping. Since then, that figure has continued to rise steadily over the next two years to 15.8% in 2022. In 2023 it was reported that there was a spike in the number of children who had tried vaping at least once, jumping to 20.5%, which would be the equivalent of 4,434 children in Bexley between the ages of 11 and 17, with many of those further reporting that they vape regularly.

More than half of all children who have never smoked reported that they vape ‘just to give it a try’ and around 20% say they do it to ‘join in with others.’ The proportion of children saying they vape just to give it a try has declined since 2022, while those saying they do it to fit in has risen. Of those who had a history of smoking, 21% said that they vape because they like the flavours, a sentiment shared by 12% of people who have never smoked, a figure that is relatively unchanged since 2022.

This year marks the first time that children have begun to report the false understanding that vapes are about the same or more harmful than smoking, including nearly half of those who have tried vaping. (18) This information suggests that children believing that vaping is harmful does not impact their willingness to try vaping.

The most frequent source of vapes for young people is vape shops, (48% of respondents), with almost as many (46%) responding that they are given vapes by other people. The most frequently used devices are disposable or single use vapes which have seen an increase in usage from 7.7% in 2021 to 69% in 2023, a nearly tenfold increase in just 2 years.

Adults

The proportion of adults using e-cigarettes and vapes in 2023 was 9.1%, the highest proportion ever recorded which is equivalent to 17,269 adults in Bexley. Of those, 56% (equivalent to 9,671 Bexley residents) are people who used to smoke but who now only vapes, 37% (6,390) are people who currently both smoke and vape, and the remaining 7% (1,208) have never smoked but have taken up vaping.

The most common reason that people who smoke use vapes is to help them to quit smoking and remain smoke free, with over half of people who used to smoke but now currently vape saying that the use of vapes and e-cigarettes helped them to quit smoking or prevent relapse. Other reasons given by people who used to smoke for vaping are that they enjoy the experience, and they save money by vaping rather than smoking. In the group of current people who smoke who also vape, over a third have stated that they use vaping to help cut down on smoking or to try and quit smoking for good. Most people who have never smoked say that they vape because they enjoy the experience or just because they want to give it a try.

The perceptions of harm in adult vape and e-cigarette users somewhat resembles that of the figures seen with young people. 40% of people who smoke incorrectly believe that vaping is about the same or more harmful than smoking, a figure which has been increasing since 2021. A third of people who smoke understand that vaping is less harmful than smoking, but less than 10% correctly identified that it is much less harmful. People who used to smoke showed the most accurate perception of the harms of vaping, with 75% saying that it was much less harmful than smoking.

The most commonly used type of e-cigarette device used among adults is a refillable tank system, with 50% of current vape users reporting this as their main use device. However, disposable vapes have become more popular each year, with 31% of vapers mainly using single use vapes in 2023, which has massively increased from just 2.3% in 2021. Disposable vapes are most commonly used by young adults, with over half of 18 to 24-year-olds using disposable vapes as their main device in 2023.

Not all people who smoke have tried vapes for several reasons; not wanting to swap one addiction for another, feeling that they are not addicted to smoking, they do not need help to quit, and safety concerns or lack of knowledge about the devices. (19)