A total of 14 798 youth aged 12 to 17 years completed the survey, of whom 498 (3.6%) had used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days, constituting the sample of this study. The research team found that while many adolescents thought about quitting vaping, the motivation to do so decreased as long as they kept vaping.
“Approximately 44.5% reported seriously thinking about quitting. Of those, most reported thinking about quitting within the next 30 days (50.2%), followed by beyond 1 year (22.9%), within the year (16.9%), and within the next 6 months (10.1%). Overall, 24.9% had tried to quit vaping completely within the past year. Motivation to quit and incidence of quit attempts were largely consistent across demographic and smoking history subgroups.”
The researchers added that among the teen vapers surveyed, 57% reported experiencing symptoms of depression and 61% indicated they had symptoms of anxiety. “A significant portion of adolescents who vape want to stop vaping,” said lead study author Dr. Tracy T. Smith. “Funding is needed for the development of cessation interventions.”
Dropping teen vaping rates
Meanwhile, data from across the globe keeps indicating that teen vaping rates are on the decline. A recent Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey has indicated that between 2019 and 2020, there was a 40% drop in smoking rates in this specific age group, from 13.3% to 8%. This figure is encouraging for Health Canada’s no smoking target (5% by 2035) and this 5% target rate has already been achieved among those aged 15-19.
Similarly, recent data related to vaping in New Zealand indicated that e-cig use amongst 14 and 15-year olds remains low, and is even dropping further. The survey found that just 1.8% of students used e-cigarettes or vaped each day, marking a slight drop from 1.9% in 2017. While only 0.5% of students who have never smoked vape daily. This equates to a drop from 0.8 per cent in 2017.
US Study: Future Goals And Parental Support Lower Risk of Youth Vaping
