The e-cigarette has established itself in public life and at the heart of a public health debate on nicotine addiction and smoking cessation. It is difficult to escape the controversies over the advantages and disadvantages of this vapor cigarette.
E-cigarette does it help to quit smoking, is it a gateway to conventional cigarettes, does it encourage the youngest to experiment with tobacco?
Some healthcare professionals believe e-cigarettes have normalized nicotine, undoing all of the communication work done over the past 50 years.
This is what denounces the record of the North Wales Tobacco Control Alliance, relayed by the British National Health Service.
Sweet flavors of electronic cigarettes appeal to young girls
A study was carried out in 72 schools to analyze the consumption of e-cigarettes among the youngest, in particular among young girls between 11 and 12 years old.
The results of this research reveal an alarming finding. 80% of 13-18 year olds who know the vapor cigarette, know how to get it and have experimented with it. 1 in 50 girls aged 11 to 12 smoke already. The majority of respondents say that scented electronic cigarettes are not as bad as regular cigarettes and that they are not harmful. “Redbull, strawberry milkshake, chewing gum, caramel, these sweet flavors attract the youngest and camouflage the taste of tobacco” recalls the North Wales Tobacco Control Alliance.
During this study, 53 school principals declared confiscating up to 10 electronic cigarettes per week.
In France, a survey by the student mutual insurance company Smerep revealed the same conclusions. In fact, 67% of students non-smokers admit to having tried electronic cigarettes and find it “fun”. The sweet chocolate, strawberry and banana tastes of electronic cigarettes partly explain this enthusiasm among young people. A study of 60 million consumers carried out in 2011 had indeed revealed that sweet flavors encouraged young people to smoke more.
Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in France. It is responsible for 73,000 deaths per year. At 17, one in three young people smoke regularly.