A new survey from NHS digital shows that vaping among secondary school pupils (11-15 years old) is rising. The survey saw a rise in vapers from to six per cent in 2018 to nine per cent in 2021.
The survey questioned 9,289 year seven to year 11 pupils across 119 schools. Ordinarily, the data would have been collected by external interviewers. But, due to the pandemic, the schools were offered either an interviewer attending or guidance to run the survey themselves. Of the schools surveyed, 60 chose interviewer-led, and 59 chose teacher-led.
In 2018 the proportion of pupils who were regular smokers was five per cent, but the new statistics show that this has now been reduced to three per cent.
Although the decrease in smoking is a great stride forward, it is the rising vaping statistics that suggest a worrying trend. The proportion of current e-cigarette users has increased from six per cent in 2018, to nine per cent in 2021.
A notable difference was also detected between boys and girls smoking. The report states, “Girls were now more likely than boys to be current e-cigarette users; 10 per cent for girls compared to seven per cent for boys. Regular use was now similar (four per cent for boys and five per cent for girls).
The survey also considered the prevalence of e-cigarettes against cigarette smoking status. The survey found:
- 56 per cent of ex-smokers were current e-cigarette users
- 92 per cent of regular smokers had used e-cigarettes
- Regular smokers who were regular e-cigarette users has more than doubled; from 29 per cent in 2018 to 61 per cent in 2021
Purchasing vapes
In 2015 legislation came into place which introduced the minimum age for the sale of e-cigarettes as 18. Therefore, the interviewers asked a list of follow up questions to determine the source of their e-cigarettes.
The pupils could give more than one answer to this section of the survey. The responses show:
- 61 per cent of regular e-cigarette users said other people gave them e-cigarettes, most commonly of whom were friends (45 per cent).
- Buying from any kind of shop increased from 29 per cent in 2018, to 57 per cent in 202. Newsagents were the most common type of shop (41 per cent).
- Between five per cent and nine per cent had asked someone to buy them e-cigarettes or refills from a shop in the last year. Of these, 79 per cent were successful.
Attitudes to e-cigarette use have changed since 2018. Notably, the proportion of pupils who thought it was acceptable to try to use or use e-cigarettes has fallen. The report states, “32 per cent of pupils thought it was ok for people of their own age to try an e-cigarette to see what it's like, and 20 per cent thought it was ok to use an e-cigarette once a week, compared to 36 per cent and 24 per cent, respectively, in 2018.”
With age, there was a shift in attitudes towards e-cigarettes. Five per cent of 11-year-olds thought it was ok for someone of their own age to use an e-cigarette once a week, compared to 35 per cent of 15-year-olds.
Socialising
Pupils who met people outside the home/school in a four-week period were more likely to be current e-cigarette users as 23 per cent of pupils who met people every day were current e-cigarette smokers. Only one per cent of pupils who never met people outside of home/school were current e-cigarette smokers.
The learning environment also seems to have affected the statistics. Those pupils who continued to go to school in the last year were twice as likely to be e-cigarette smokers (14 per cent) compared to those who had studied at home (seven per cent).