E-cigarettes Inhaling chemical cocktails

Especially young people take the e-cigarette

06/17/2014

„E-cigarettes“ are obviously very much in vogue. More than a fifth of smokers have ever smoked an electronic cigarette, according to an EU-wide survey of more than 26,000 teenagers and adults. Especially with younger people, therefore, the interest in the electric glow sticks is great, for example, to test whether the „steam“ can help in the weaning of traditional cigarettes.

23% of smokers and 4.7% of former smokers have ever „steamed“
For their study, researchers led by Constantine Vardavas of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, interviewed a total of 26,566 adolescents and adults from 27 EU countries in 2012. The result: 23% of smokers, 4.7% of former smokers and 1.2% of those who had never smoked a cigarette before, have ever tried the electronic alternative to the normal glow stick. Extrapolated to the entire EU population, this would mean that more than 29 million EU citizens would benefit „steam“ have already tried, the scientists currently in the journal "Tobacco Control". A good two-thirds of current smokers have "tried the report once or twice, 9 percent of people would use the e-cigarette on a regular basis.".

Electric cigarette especially popular with younger people
The interest in electronic cigarettes is great for the researchers, especially among the younger ones: „As far as smokers are concerned, it was more probable for the 15-24 year olds and the 25-39 year olds that they had already tried an e-cigarette than the older smokers. It was also more likely for those who smoked 6 to 10 or 11 to 20 cigarettes a day than the lighter smokers (up to 5 cigarettes a day)“, so the researchers in the article in the "Tobacco Control". In addition, the respondents who want to quit smoking, according to the survey had twice as often tried the electrical alternative, as those who were convinced of conventional smoking, write the scientists on.

Results show the need to further explore consequences of this trend
Because of the results, it is enormously important to understand the consequences of this „trends“ continue to explore, the researchers emphasize: „A significant number of adults within the EU have already used e-cigarettes. Users were younger, current smokers or former smokers since last year. These results underline the need to evaluate the possible long-term impact of e-cigarette consumption on consumer health, smoking cessation and dependence on nicotine, and a European framework for regulation of e-cigarettes within a revised EU Tobacco Directive formulate.“

466 brands with 7764 flavors available on the Internet
In addition, a second research group had come to interesting results: For example, had an evaluation of the scientists to Shu-Hong Zhu from the University of California (San Diego) revealed that e-cigarettes, especially on the Internet, are increasingly on the rise. The offer is getting bigger and bigger - only between August 2012 and January 2014, ten new brands and 242 flavors have been launched each month, such as menthol, fruit or alcohol. Overall, 466 brands with 7764 flavors were thus available at the beginning of the year, according to the scientists in "Tobacco Control". The marketing would be done differently: „The number of e-cigarette brands is large and has increased. Older brands tend to highlight their advantages over traditional cigarettes, while newer brands emphasize consumer choice across multiple flavors and product varieties.“ However, it is precisely here that the researchers could be meaningfully used: „These results can serve as a benchmark for future research on the impact of upcoming regulations on product design and e-cigarette advertising.“ (No)