Worrying Number of People Now Engage in Vaping, States Global Health Body
Over 100 million users, comprising at bare minimum 15 million youth, now use e-cigarettes, driving a new trend of nicotine dependency, per current worldwide medical data.
Minors are, usually, nine times more likely than grown-ups to engage in vaping, per current global statistics.
Electronic cigarettes are propelling a "new wave" of nicotine dependency, stated a senior health representative. "These devices are advertised as damage limitation but, truthfully, are addicting youth on nicotine at younger ages and risk compromising years of progress."
Adolescents Being 'Aimed At'
"Millions of citizens are ceasing, or not taking up tobacco use thanks to tobacco control initiatives by countries around the world," the representative commented.
"As an answer to this strong advancement, the tobacco sector is fighting back with novel nicotine devices, aggressively focusing on young people. Governments must respond quicker and more forcefully in implementing tested tobacco-control regulations," he continued.
The e-cigarette statistics are an estimate since several countries - 109 in sum, and numerous in African and South-East Asia - fail to collect statistics.
Based on the analysis, as of this past February this year, at bare minimum 86 million e-cigarette individuals were adults, mostly in developed nations.
And at minimum 15 million adolescents aged 13 and 15 already engage in vaping, based on surveys from 123 nations.
Even though numerous nations have tried to implement e-cigarette rules to tackle child vaping in recent years, by the end of 2024, 62 states still had no policy in place, and 74 countries had no minimum age at which e-cigarettes are allowed to be bought, says the public health body.
At the same time, tobacco use has been declining - from an approximated 1.38 billion users in 2000 to 1.2 billion in 2024.
Frequency of tobacco usage among females decreased the largest - from 11% in 2010 to 6.6% in 2024.
For men, the decrease was from 41.4% in 2010 to 32.5% in 2024.
But one in five of adults worldwide still consumes tobacco.
Tobacco use is associated to numerous illnesses, such as cancer.
Professionals say vaping is considerably less harmful than traditional cigarettes, and can assist you quit smoking. It is discouraged for those who don't smoke.
Electronic cigarettes avoid burning tobacco and do not produce resin or toxic gas, a pair of the most dangerous substances in tobacco vapors. They have nicotine, which can be addictive.
