Researchers in Australia say the popularity of vaping among young women is a growing public health concern, with new data revealing how many are taking up the habit. A study has shown that more than one in 10 Aussie women aged 19-26 have tried vaping, but that more than a quarter of users have never smoked cigarettes. Researchers also found young women who are current smokers are 10-times more likely to use e-cigarettes, and ex-smokers five-times more likely than those who had never smoked. They surveyed almost 9000 women from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health. Younger women were more likely to have used e-cigarettes in the previous 12 months than older women.
They also found young women who drank more than two standard drinks per day or who were in financial difficulty were also more likely to have use e-cigarettes recently than other young women. Researches prove that women who lived in urban areas were more likely to have tried vaping, likely because e-cigarettes were more easily available. There are concerns about the harmful effects of nicotine and other compounds used in e-cigarette flavorings but it could be another 10 or 20 years before we can say whether there are long term health consequences.
Worldwide e-cigarette use is controversial because many contain addictive substances, primarily nicotine, that lead to long-term nicotine addiction, which can affect brain development in young people. The country’s government has proposed legal changes that would ban vaping devices and smokeless tobacco products the same as cigarettes in being banned from bars, restaurants, and workplaces, as well introducing restrictions on how they can be displayed in stores.
