Teenagers who use electronic cigarettes have a five times higher risk of starting to smoke traditional cigarettes later in life, according to an English study.
- The electronic cigarette would be a springboard to smoking
- Study shows teens who vape are 5 times more likely to later become smokers
Vaping is the gateway to cigarettes. Young e-cigarette users are almost five times more likely to take up tobacco, according to a study by researchers at the University of Bristol (UK) and published in the journal Tobacco Control.
The earlier you vape, the greater the risk of smoking cigarettes
The researchers combined the results of 17 studies to determine whether non-smokers who tried e-cigarettes were more likely to continue smoking. The data studied revealed that e-cigarette users under the age of 30 are 4.6 times more likely to use tobacco afterwards, compared to those who have never vaped. “This is consistent with the theory that e-cigarettes act as a gateway to smoking”the researchers wrote in the study’s findings.
The earlier vapers start, the higher the risk of smoking cigarettes later. Excluding those under 18, the risk of smoking tobacco after vaping is 3.17 times higher, while it rises to 4.87 times higher if we include those under 18. A link that can be explained, according to the researchers, by the tendency of rebellious adolescents who vape to experiment with tobacco. “In adolescence, risk-taking is common, and decision-making about health risk behaviors is influenced by peers, societal influences, and parental oversight”they add.
The electronic cigarette, a springboard to tobacco
This shift from vaping to cigarettes can be explained by several phenomena. “There are plausible causal pathways, for example: nicotine addiction, similar hand-to-mouth actions for both behaviors”, justify the researchers. “This suggests that the results support a causal relationship between e-cigarette use and later smoking..” Electronic cigarettes would fail to satisfy users who become more addicted to nicotine and therefore more likely to turn to tobacco later in life.
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