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** 24 January 2024
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** UK
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** 300,000 Brits who have NEVER smoked use disposable vapes (#3)
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** Adult smokers in Kent urged to swap to vapes as part of scheme to make UK smoke-free (#1)
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** Men should have dedicated health minister to help address blokes’ poor health and early deaths, MPs are told (#2)
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** UK
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** 300,000 Brits who have NEVER smoked use disposable vapes

Disposable vapes are regularly used by more than 300,000 people who have never smoked, new research shows.

A major study found that more than 7 per cent of 18-to-24 year olds who have never been tobacco-users use the devices.

In a nod to the Government's ban plan, researchers said preventing the uptake of vaping among those who have never smoked - particularly children – must be 'a public health priority'.

This will protect children, they said, but warned adults may need to be persuaded to switch to other e-cigarettes to prevent them going back to smoking.

The study funded by Cancer Research UK found a ban on disposable vapes would affect an estimated 2.6million adults in England, Wales and Scotland.

They said that unlike earlier disposables, current products 'are not designed to look like cigarettes but rather have a sleek design (in a variety of colours) and branding that appeals to young people'.

From January 2021 to August 2023, the prevalence of disposable e-cigarette use grew from 0.1 per cent to 4.9 per cent of the adult population.

While never-smokers were generally unlikely to vape, this was not the case with younger people. Some 7.1 per cent of 18 to 24-year-old people who had never smoked did vape.

Researchers noted this was likely to do with how they were marketed, writing in the journal Public Health: 'They are promoted through colourful in-store displays, word of mouth, and social media platforms, and are widely available in supermarkets, convenience stores, petrol stations, vape shops, and online without adequate enforcement of age-of-sale laws.'

Disposable vapes, which cost as little as £3, have seen a surge in popularity among youngsters, with one in five secondary school pupils reported to have tried vaping this year. This number has trebled in the last three years.

Lead author Dr Sarah Jackson, from University College London (UCL), said: 'While banning disposables might seem like a straightforward solution to reduce youth vaping, it could have substantial unintended consequences for people who smoke.

'In the event of a ban, it would be important to encourage current and ex-smokers who use disposables to switch to other types of e-cigarettes rather than going back to just smoking tobacco.'

Senior author Professor Jamie Brown, also from UCL, said: 'There is a need for action to reduce disposable vaping among young people who have never smoked. However, trade-offs need to be carefully considered.'

The researchers suggested strengthening regulations around disposable vapes including banning branding that appeals to children, such as bright colours, sweet names, and cartoon characters.

Promotion of e-cigarettes in shops should be stopped and they should be put out of sight and reach of children, they said.

Putting a tax on disposables to raise the price to the same level as the cheapest reusable e-cigarettes, could also be a deterrent, they conclude.

Source: The Daily Mail, 24 January 2024

See also: Journal of Public Health - Who would be affected by a ban on disposable vapes? A population study in Great Britain ([link removed]) | ASH – Resources on youth vaping ([link removed])
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** Adult smokers in Kent urged to swap to vapes as part of scheme to make UK smoke-free

Adult smokers in Kent are being urged to swap to vapes instead as part of a scheme to make the UK smoke-free.

Kent County Council (KCC) is receiving £1.9million to help residents who smoke kick the killer habit.

It forms part of the government's £70million 'Stopping the start' funding pot to help the UK become smoke-free by 2030.

Further annual funding to help Kent smokers quit will also follow from the Department of Health and Social Care for an additional four years, between 2025 and 2029.

KCC director of public health Dr Anjan Ghosh, said: "We're excited to receive the biggest local authority grant and looking forward to working with our healthcare partners and others to bolster local services and interventions to help Kent’s remaining 167,000 residents who still smoke to stop.

"This includes rolling out a Swap-to-Stop scheme with Kent Community NHS Foundation Trust to help adult smokers switch from cigarettes to less toxic vapes.

"Vapes are a useful aid to help adult smokers quit but they are not risk free so if you don’t smoke, don’t vape.”

KCC cabinet member for public health Dan Watkins added: "Smoking remains the leading single cause of unavoidable death, disease and disability and disproportionately affects our most vulnerable residents.

"It’s actually so harmful that 85% of smokers and ex-smokers regret ever picking up a cigarette in the first place and struggle to stop because of an addiction they don’t want.

“This additional money will significantly increase our funding available to tackle smoking – enabling us to increase services and support to help people quit. It’s a game-changing investment and will help save lives.”

Source: ITVX, 23 January 2024
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** Men should have dedicated health minister to help address blokes’ poor health and early deaths, MPs are told

Many males do not visit the doctor between childhood and middle-age and are less likely to take time away from work to get checked out, it was said.

Official figures show men in the UK live to an average age of 79, while it is 83 for women.

Martin Tod, of the Men’s Health Forum, told the Commons Health Committee: “Everybody knows men die earlier, and drink more and smoke more.

"Everybody knows they are more likely to die of cancer or heart disease, yet nothing is done.

“This is a problem that is hiding in plain sight.

“We need to put something into the system, whether it’s a strategy, a minister, or a clinical lead in the NHS — probably all of those — to say, ‘It’s time to change’.”

Source: The Sun, 23 January 2024
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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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