Would THIS end kid vaping epidemic?

By Liam On Mar 14, 2023

Placing vapes in plain packaging reduces their appeal to teens and may even stop them from picking up the habit in the first place, a major study finds.

Researchers found that removing bright colors, images and fancy lettering from packaging can be an effective means of preventing young people from using e-cigarettes.

The team, from King’s College London and Action on Smoking and Health (Ash), studied nearly 2,500 teenagers aged 11-18 and more than 12,000 adults.

They were all randomly assigned to view a set of three different vape products – some in fully branded packaging, some in plain white branded packaging, and some in plain green branded packaging.

Those in the study were then asked which of the products they thought people their age would be most interested in trying.

About 43 percent of teens in the survey said their peers would be interested in vaping from branded packaging

But this fell to 33 percent. Bright colors and branding fonts were changed to green simple cigarette style packaging

Analysis, published in the journal Jama Network Open, revealed that those in the teen group were more likely to report that their peers would have no interest in vaping if they were marketed in plain packaging.

Some 43 percent said their peers would definitely be interested in vaping from branded packs, compared to 33 percent for the green packs and 38 percent for the while packs.

This translates into a reduction in attractiveness of almost a quarter for green plain packaging and 12 percent for plain white packaging.

The adult group, on the other hand, reported no difference in interest – suggesting that plain packaging would not affect their intention to quit smoking using e-cigarettes.

Research published last July found that the number of children vaping is on the rise, with many being influenced by social media sites such as TikTok.

NHS Digital, which last year surveyed nearly 10,000 students aged 11 to 15 about their smoking, drug and drinking habits, found that nine per cent are currently vaping – the highest recorded rate since the survey began in 2014

One in 10 high school students now uses vaping, despite uncertainty about their long-term health effects

Disposable e-cigarettes are growing in popularity, in part because they cost around £5 each and come in a wide variety of colors and fruity flavours.

While it’s illegal to sell vapes to those under 18, teens on social media are showing them off and discussing flavors like pink lemonade, strawberry banana, and mango.

Dr. Katherine East, the study’s senior author, said: ‘Some current e-cigarette packaging has eye-catching and enticing designs. Our research found that removing brand image from packaging reduced the appeal of vapes to teens, without reducing its appeal to adults.

“This is an essential difference, as it means that vaping may still appeal to adults as a smoking cessation tool, especially as our previous research has shown that vaping is significantly less harmful than smoking.”

The researchers also found that a higher proportion of teens who had never smoked or vaped had no interest in trying any of the plain-packaged products.

Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive Officer at Ash, said: ‘This research shows that it is possible to make vape packaging less attractive to children, without undermining the appeal of e-cigarettes to adult smokers trying to quit.

“This is an important finding given the worrying increase in underage vaping in recent times. The government should take note and commit to implementing standardized packaging for vapes and vaping products without delay.”

Last month, England’s chief medical officer attacked the ‘appalling’ marketing of vapes to children – saying it was clear some products are intended to appeal to minors.

Professor Sir Chris Whitty told MPs: ‘I think everyone would agree that the marketing of vaping, an addictive product, with, as you suggest, unknown effects on mind development, is completely unacceptable to children .’

An Ash report from last year found that the proportion of kids ages 11 to 17 currently vaping has increased from 4 percent in 2020 to 7 percent in 2022.

In 2013, only 3 percent of kids ages 11 to 15 had ever vaped, but this rose to 8 percent in 2020 and 10 percent in 2022.

Plain packs for cigarettes and hand-rolled tobacco products were introduced in the UK in 2017.

What do the recent studies say about e-cigarettes?

People who vape experience ‘worrying changes’ in their blood pressure

Vaping causes your blood pressure and heart rate to rise immediately afterwards, one study claimed.

Experts at the University of Wisconsin found that vaping and smoking cause people’s heart rates to spike 15 minutes after use, putting the body into “fight or flight” mode.

The study, presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2022, looked at data from 395 participants – 164 vapers, 117 smokers and 114 who had no history of nicotine, e-cigarettes or tobacco use.

Co-lead author Matthew Tattersall, an assistant professor of medicine at the university, said: “Immediately after vaping or smoking, there were worrying changes in blood pressure, heart rate, heart rate variability and blood vessel tone (constriction).”

But the study wasn’t peer-reviewed and was observational only, so researchers couldn’t prove that vaping actually caused the heart problems.

E-cigarette users are less fit than people who don’t vape

Vapers perform worse during exercise than nonsmokers and are more like smokers, a study claims.

Researchers looked at data from the same participants as the previous study.

After 90 minutes on the machine, they were given four heart tests to determine the organ’s overall health.

People who vaped scored 11 percent lower than those who didn’t use nicotine.

Smokers had test scores 16 percent lower than the control group.

Dr. Aruni Bhatnagar, a professor of medicine at the University of Louisville, said: “These studies add to the growing body of science showing comparable cardiovascular injuries in people who use e-cigarettes and those who smoke combustible cigarettes.”

Vaping is ‘as bad as cigarettes for your heart’

Vapers have the same risk of heart disease as cigarette users, according to US federally funded research.

In two studies, one in mice and one in humans, e-cigarettes were found to cause similar damage to blood vessels as smoking tobacco.

The findings by experts at the University of California, San Francisco were published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (ATVB) of the American Heart Association.

Despite the difference in ingredients that make up e-cigarette aerosol and cigarette smoke, the researchers found that damage to blood vessels does not appear to be caused by any specific component of cigarette smoke or e-cigarette vapor.

Rather, it appears to be caused by airway irritation triggering biological signals in the valgus nerve.

Dr. Matthew Springer, a professor of medicine in the department of cardiology at the University of California, San Francisco, said: “We were surprised to find that there was not a single component that you could remove to reduce the harmful effect of smoke or fumes on the body. to stop. the blood vessels.’

“As long as there is an irritant in the airways, blood vessel function may be compromised,” he said.