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Why is everyone so obsessed with Elf bars?
Disposable vapes have increased in popularity in recent months; in the last quarter of 2021 the UK's leading online vape platform saw a 279% increase in sales of disposable vapes, with Geek and Elf bars emerging as the most popular brands.
There are concerns this trend may be driven by increases in young people vaping. A recent study reports fewer than 1% of 18-year-old vapers used disposables at the start of 2021, rising to around 57% in January 2022. However, research has shown vaping to be 95% less harmful than smoking cigarettes and fewer than 1% of current vapers have never smoked cigarettes.
Hazel Cheeseman, deputy chief executive at ASH, said: “Vaping has been a public health phenomenon. Thousands of people who would be smoking today are not because they’ve switched to vaping […] The national data on vaping has consistently shown very low levels of use among those who don’t smoke.”
Cheeseman acknowledges that vaping is not harmless but reiterates that they’re still hugely beneficial when it comes to getting smokers to quit: “If products are hitting the streets that have a big appeal among never-smokers, then this is something new and needs to be carefully monitored […] While vaping is very much less risky than smoking – one in two smokers will die of a smoking related illness – it is not risk-free. This is something the government will need to keep monitoring to make sure that the massive benefits to society from smokers switching are not undermined by non-smokers taking up vaping.”
Source: Dazed & Confused, 18 May 2022
See also: MedRxiv - Rapid growth in disposable e-cigarette vaping among young adults in Great Britain from 2021 to 2022: a repeat cross-sectional survey
Editorial note: The study referenced in the article found a significant change in the type of e-cigarettes people use, with a rapid increase in the use of disposable e-cigarettes, particularly among younger adults. However, importantly the study also found that the overall proportion of people currently using any inhaled nicotine products, including e-cigarettes, has remained stable over time, including among young adults.
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Obese people will soon outnumber the ‘healthy’ in Britain
A new study by Cancer Research UK suggests by 2027, people whose weight does not compromise their health will be a minority of the population. The forecasts show 4 in 10 UK adults will be obese within two decades, while 7 in 10 will be overweight or obese. Currently 28% of adults in the UK are obese, while 34% are of healthy weight.
These projections mean that by 2027, 32.4% of Britain’s population will be obese - overtaking the 31.9% in the healthy category.
The charity issued the new analysis as it criticised the Government’s decision to delay a ban on buy-one-get-one- free deals and advertising of junk food to children.
Dr Julie Sharp, the head of health and patient information at Cancer Research UK, said: “Government action is key in making sure that the healthy option is readily available and affordable for people and addressing the wider barriers that prevent people from living healthy lives. If these staggering trends continue, obesity will eclipse smoking as the biggest cause of cancer.”
Source: The Telegraph, 19 May 2022
See also: Cancer Research UK – Overweight and obesity prevalence projections for the UK, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, based on data to 2019/20
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Global smoking rates fall for first time, but rise for children
Smoking rates have declined globally for the first time on record, according to new figures released by researchers form University of Illinois, Chicago, and public health organisation, Vital Strategies in the 7th edition of the Tobacco Atlas. A decline in smoking rates from 22.6% of people in 2007 to 19.6% in 2019 was reported, the first since the Smoking Atlas began in 2002.
However, this trend may mask growing numbers of smokers in some parts of the world, as well as increased tobacco use among young teenagers in almost half of the countries surveyed. Globally, there are 1.1 billion smokers and 200 million more people who use other tobacco products, the report found.
Children were also being targeted in a number of countries, resulting in a rise in smoking among teenagers aged 13-15 in 63 of 135 countries surveyed. Around 50 million in this age group now used tobacco products and the impact of new products like e-cigarettes and flavoured products was not yet fully understood.
Falling prevalence globally was a sign of the effectiveness of strong tobacco control measures, such as increased taxes said Jeffrey Drope, one of the report’s authors and public health professor at the University of Illinois, but many lower-income countries did not have tough enough restrictions in place. Dope argues, "The [tobacco] industry is still preying on emerging economies in ways that will lock in harms for a generation or more".
The data also shows tobacco use caused almost 8.7 million deaths worldwide in 2019, and approximately $2 trillion in economic damage. While more than half of the deaths are currently in high-income countries, this is expected to change if cigarette use continues to rise in lower-income areas.
Source: Daily Mail, 18 May 2022
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Parliamentary Questions
PQ 1 & 2: Independent Review on Tobacco Control
Asked by Adam Afriyie MP, Conservative, Windsor
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the recommendations set out in the Independent Review on Tobacco Control.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the recommendations of the Independent Review on Tobacco Control; and whether he plans to hold a consultation on those recommendations.
Answered by Maggie Throup, Public Health Minister
The Independent Review is due to be published shortly and we will consider its findings following publication. We will assess which recommendations will inform the forthcoming health disparities white paper and the new Tobacco Control Plan to be published later this year. This will include an assessment on any potential consultation.
Source: Hansard, 16 May 2022
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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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