“As now being used, e-cigarettes are associated with significantly less quitting among smokers”, said lead author Dr. Sara Kalkhoran from UCSF School of Medicine.
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The study, which was funded by the Department of Health, involved 598 school children, who were split into three groups.
After the study was published, one of the researchers behind it went out and said in a release that e-cigarettes should definitely not be recommended as and aid to quitting smoking until they produce evidence that they are actually assisting in what they claim to assist.
The study by researchers at University of Cambridge’s Department of Health stated that a number of children and teens who are exposed to flavored e-cigarettes, like fruit- and candy-flavored ones, are showing interest in purchasing them.
More than two million people in Britain use e-cigarettes, which are thought to be much less risky than cigarettes because they contain no tobacco.
The children shown the ads for candy-flavored e-cigarettes liked these ads more and expressed a greater interest in buying and trying e-cigarettes than their peers. This means, the children did not find the habit considerably cool, fun or attractive. However, they worry that ads for flavored e-cigarette might entice young children to try the products. “People will not naturally give up cigarettes, even though in most venues e-cigarettes are cheaper and people consider e-cigarettes to be safer”.
“The inclusion of e-cigarettes in smoke-free laws and voluntary smoke-free policies could help decrease use of e-cigarettes as a cigarette substitute, and, perhaps, increase their effectiveness for smoking cessation”. England saw a similar rise in use, with 11- to 18-year-olds’ usage rising from 5 percent in 2013 to 8 percent in 2014.
The Committee on Advertising Practice issued new rules but these do not include the clear prohibitions of ads selling candy-flavored tobacco products. The team suggests that e-cigarette ads must not appeal to underage consumers.
Very few kids migrate from e-cigarettes to real cigarettes but there are lots of other gateways to more harmful products so there is some concern about e-cigarettes leading to smoking, but it is too soon to tell.
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‘Responsible e-cigarette marketing needs to recruit adults away from smoking and in the United Kingdom it has been effective in doing this. And there is no evidence that advertising has encouraged young people to take up regular vaping.
