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Rise in young women vaping daily in the UK
More young women in the UK are vaping daily, a survey from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) suggests.
The proportion of women aged 16 to 24 who said they were doing it increased from 1.9% in 2021 to 6.7% in 2022, representing an estimated rise from around 62,000 to 225,000 across the UK.
Use was high across this age group as a whole - more than one in 10 said they were daily or occasional users in 2022.
The number of people smoking cigarettes continues to fall.
Deborah Arnott, chief executive of charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), said the data shows "a worrying growth in vaping among teens and young adults".
She added: "The Government's response to the consultation on youth vaping due imminently must contain concrete measures to prohibit child-friendly branding, and put products out of sight and out of reach in shops, as well as much stricter regulation, including a tax on the pocket money-priced disposable vapes most popular with children."
The ONS used data from its Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, a poll of 16,300 people over the age of 16 in Britain, as well as numbers from an Annual Population Survey that involves 320,000 adults.
The proportion of people using vapes was highest among current cigarette smokers (27.1%) and former smokers (16.5%).
About 2.4% of people who had never smoked cigarettes said they used vapes every day or on occasion, up from 1.5% in the last year. Occasional use in those who had never smoked jumped from 0.8% to 1.8%.
Out of the UK population, 12.9% of people aged 18 or over, or 6.4 million people, smoked cigarettes in 2022.
The ONS estimates this is the lowest proportion of current smokers since records began in 2011.
Source: BBC, 5 September 2023
See also: ONS - Adult smoking habits in the UK: 2022 | ASH - Response to ONS figures on smoking and vaping
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Scotland to consider ban on disposable vapes
Scotland could ban disposable vapes under plans unveiled by the country's first minister.
Campaigners have highlighted the environmental impact of the plastic tubes, which are often thrown on the ground after being used.
Concerns have been raised around their growing popularity among young people.
Humza Yousaf said his government would hold a consultation on a single-use vape ban as he set out his priorities for the coming year.
He told the Scottish Parliament: "I hear too often about how common vaping is among our young people.
"In the next year we will take action to reduce vaping - particularly among children. I'm pleased to announce that this government will consult on curbing the sale of disposable single-use vapes, including consulting on an outright ban."
A recent Scottish government report found that 22% of all under-18s - around 78,000 - are believed to have used a vape last year with more young people using them than smoking cigarettes.
It found that most e-cigarette users under 18 prefer single use vapes.
The review by Zero Waste Scotland estimated that up to 2.7 million single-use vapes were littered in Scotland last year.
The study estimated that there were 543,000 users of e-cigarettes in Scotland and predicted that without intervention that will rise to 900,000 by 2027.
Source: BBC, 5 September 2023
See also: Scottish Government - Tackling the environmental impact of disposable vapes | ASH - Use of e-cigarettes among young people in Great Britain
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Ban marketing vapes to children - senior Labour MP
Banning the marketing of vapes with brightly coloured packaging and branding would protect children from addiction, a senior Labour MP says.
Helen Hayes, the shadow minister for children, has proposed a new law aimed at driving down the number of young people vaping.
The legal age to purchase and use a vape, is 18 years old.
The government is considering issuing fines to shops selling vapes to under 18s illegally.
The vape industry insists it does not market its products to children and that they are meant to be a safer option for adult cigarette smokers.
But Ms Hayes told MPs some products are clearly aimed at children and banning them would have a direct impact on the "very alarming" amount of young people taking up the habit.
Without action "we can expect a pipeline of young people becoming addicted to vaping, which may stay with some of them for the rest of their lives", she warned.
The ban on cigarette advertising, branding and shop displays has dramatically reduced tobacco sales and smoking rates among children.
Arguing for similar restrictions on vapes, Ms Hayes said it was not necessary to use brightly-coloured branding to market a smoking cessation product.
And although vapes were far less harmful than cigarettes, she told MPs they were not "harmless", with 40 children admitted to hospital last year with suspected vaping-related disorders.
Source: BBC, 5 September 2023
See also: Hansard - Electronic Cigarettes (Branding, Promotion and Advertising) | ASH - response to vaping consultation calls on government to urgently implement four high impact interventions
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Study points to big surge in under-50 cancer cases
The number of cancer cases among the under-50s around the world appears to have risen sharply in the past 30 years, a study suggests.
Research published in BMJ Oncology found there had been 3.26 million cases in 2019 - 79% more than in 1990.
But experts cautioned against reading too much into the findings.
The research did not take into account a 40% rise in the total population, while factors such as better reporting may also have played a role.
The team, of experts from around the world, including the US, China and the UK, agreed no firm conclusions could be drawn.
But they were concerned lifestyle factors - including excess weight, diets high in red meat and salt and physical inactivity - could be pushing cancer cases up among 14- to 49-year-olds.
Genetic factors could also be playing a role, they added.
Dr Claire Knight, of CRUK, added: "However alarming this might seem, cancer is primarily a disease of older age, with the majority of new cancer cases worldwide being diagnosed in those aged 50 and above."
Source: BBC, 6 September 2023
See also: BMJ Oncology - Global trends in incidence, death, burden and risk factors of early-onset cancer from 1990 to 2019
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Radio 4: You and Yours – experiences of vaping with Professor Nick Hopkinson
On Tuesday’s episode of You and Yours, presenter Winifred Robinson takes calls from the public about their experiences of vaping. With her is Professor Nick Hopkinson, a respiratory consultant and Chair of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), who helps answer questions with the evidence available. Listen here.
Source: You and Yours, 5 September 2023
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UK government under fire for ‘evidence led’ retreat on gambling advertising ban
The government has been criticised for claiming it took a decision to step back from a ban on gambling advertising because there was “little evidence” that it led to harm among users.
Speaking in front of the culture, media and sport committee on Tuesday, the minister for sport, gambling and civil society, Stuart Andrew, told MPs that the government had taken an “evidence-led” approach to reform. He also admitted, however, that there was a need for “much better” research on the effects of gambling and its harms.
“We have very much gone on the evidence [and] there’s little evidence that exposure to advertising alone causes people to enter into gambling harm,” Andrew said. “Once we have the research if there’s more evidence that proves advertising is causing harm then we will look at that.”
The government assessment was disputed by one leading expert on gambling harms. “The evidence is clear that gambling advertising drives consumption, which increases harm,” said Dr Matt Gaskell, a consultant psychologist who runs the NHS’s northern gambling service.
One overarching assessment of research into gambling advertising, published in the journal Public Health in February, called for advertising restrictions. While researchers acknowledged “significant limitations” in the evidence base, they found: “In the absence of definitive controlled studies, the substantial and consistent evidence base supports restrictions to reduce exposure to gambling advertising.”
One issue that has affected the quality of research is a shortage of funding, especially outside that provided directly or indirectly by the gambling industry. Much research in the UK is currently paid for through the industry-funded Gamble Aware. The government says it plans to change this system when a proposed statutory levy on bookmakers comes into effect, with revenues to be ringfenced for government-authorised research.
Source: The Guardian, 5 September 2023
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Doug Naysmith obituary
The former Labour and Co-operative MP Doug Naysmith, who has died aged 82, maintained a discreet profile at Westminster and may have been little known outside his constituency city of Bristol, yet he played a crucial role in one of the most far-reaching items of legislation enacted this century.
As a scientist with a doctorate in immunology, he was an influential member of the health select committee that persuaded the Blair government not to compromise, but to allow a free vote on the introduction of the proposed public ban on smoking. Naysmith, MP for Bristol North West from 1997 to 2010, regarded the subsequent passage of the legislation to introduce a total ban, which came into effect in 2007, as the highlight of his career.
As joint chair of Labour’s health committee he was involved in a parliamentary campaign to try to tackle obesity. He was a member of the Socialist Health Association for more than 40 years and president twice, a fellow of both the Royal College of Medicine and the Society of Biology, and president of the Dementia Care Trust.
Source: The Guardian, 2 August 2023
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10 minute rule motion on the branding, promotion and advertising of e-cigarettes brought by Labour MP Helen Hayes.
Labour MP for Dulwich and Westwood, Helen Hayes, has brought forward a 10-minute rule bill on preventing the marketing of e-cigarettes in a way that appeals to children.
The first reading took place on Tuesday 5th September and the second reading is due to be presented on the 24th November.
Source: Hansard, 5 September 2023
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ASH Daily News is a digest of published news on smoking-related topics. ASH is not responsible for the content of external websites. ASH does not necessarily endorse the material contained in this bulletin.
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