YOUTHS AWARE THAT VAPING IS HARMFUL AND ILLEGAL – MORE WANT TO ENCOURAGE PEERS NOT TO VAPE
Singapore, 31 May 2024
1. A youth sentiments survey found that 69 per cent of youths know that vaping is illegal in Singapore, and 68 per cent of youths are aware that vaping is harmful to health. Notwithstanding the illegality and health harms of vaping, the top three reasons why youths vape include that e-vaporisers have more flavours than traditional cigarettes, influence from social circle and for stress relief.
2. The online survey, which polled 500 youths between 16 and 35 years old from 11 to 21 December 2023, was conducted by the Ministry of Health (MOH), the Health Promotion Board (HPB) and the National Youth Council (NYC) to seek youths’ views on how to work towards a nicotine-free Singapore.
Debunking the Misconceptions of Vaping Among Youths
3. While most youths (68 per cent) know that vaping is harmful to health, 26 per cent of respondents think that e-vaporisers are less harmful than traditional cigarettes. Similarly, 26 per cent of those surveyed think that vaping can be a way to quit smoking traditional cigarettes. These are inaccurate.
4. E-vaporisers typically contain nicotine, a highly addictive substance, that can also harm the developing brains of youths, and cancer-causing chemicals and other toxic substances such as metal nanoparticles and particulate matter (PM2.5).
5. Studies have shown that vaping is linked to an increased risk of developing heart and lung diseases[1] in the short term. Vaping is also associated with lung injuries such as pneumothorax (collapsed lungs), known as e-vaporiser-use associated lung injury. The toxic substances found in the heated aerosol produced by e-vaporisers can also harm others through second-hand exposure. In addition, there may be other as-yet unknown long-term health effects from vaping, as e-vaporisers are relatively new. In December 2023, the World Health Organization called for urgent action to control the uptake of e-vaporisers due to mounting evidence on their adverse population health effects.
6. There is evidence that e-vaporisers can be a gateway for non-smokers, particularly youths, to start using cigarettes. Those who used e-vaporisers to quit cigarette smoking were also more likely to continue e-vaporisers use in the long-term, leading to continued nicotine addiction[2][3] . Many of those who were unsuccessful in quitting cigarette smoking ended up using both cigarettes and e-vaporisers and being exposed to the harms of both products[4][5].
Efforts against vaping
7. The possession, use or purchase of e-vaporisers is prohibited under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act, and carries a maximum fine of $2,000. It is also an offence to import, distribute, sell or offer for sale e-vaporisers and their components. All prohibited tobacco items will also be seized and confiscated. MOH has worked with various government agencies, to step up Whole-of-Government enforcement and education efforts against vaping in Singapore, in order to protect our population from the harmful effects of e-vaporisers and prevent vaping from being entrenched locally.
8. “We need to protect our community, particularly our youths, from the adverse health harms of e-vaporiser use. As nicotine is highly addictive, we are constantly finding ways to prevent the uptake of vaping in the first instance. The survey findings have provided insights into youths’ perceptions around vaping, which will enable us to better engage youths on leading nicotine-free lifestyles,” said Mr Tay Choon Hong, Chief Executive Officer, Health Promotion Board.
9. HPB has intensified education efforts in schools and educational institutions. Riding on sentiments from the survey, HPB will continue to work with the Ministry of Education to highlight the messages on harmful effects of vaping and the illegality and penalties of vaping in educational materials.
10. We will continue to engage youths through their preferred mediums, such as social media and through digital campaigns and school programmes. The “Vape is the toxic friend you don’t need” anti-vape campaign, which is amplified across social media, digital content platforms as well as high affinity outdoor channels, continues to generate and sustain conversations about the harms and illegality of vaping among youths.
11. HPB also supports individuals in their nicotine cessation journey. For students caught vaping, cessation programmes such as QuitLine, a tele-counselling service, as well as on-site counselling by Student Health Advisors (SHAs) are available. SHAs provide tailored counselling on quitting to youth smokers and vapers in more than 60 education institutions.
12. During these sessions, youths learn about the detrimental effects of smoking and vaping and pick up strategies to quit and manage withdrawal symptoms including stress management techniques, alternative activities and building a supportive social network to prevent relapse. In 2023, close to 2,350 youths received smoking and vaping cessation counselling from these programmes, of which 38 per cent have either reduced or quit smoking and/or vaping at one-month post-counselling.
Ground up efforts from youths
13. Many youths are also just as interested in the issue of vaping and are actively trying to discourage its use. For example, students from the National University of Singapore have used HPB’s resources to create their own social media posts on the myths of vaping and raised awareness of the “Vape is the toxic friend you don’t need” campaign. Another youth group, the Ci Yuan Youth Network, designed a card game aimed at educating youths about the health harms of vaping and how they can quit.
14. “Unlike tobacco, alcohol and drug use, the widespread effects of vaping remain largely unknown to the general public. It is important to recognise vaping as a societal issue and everyone can contribute to raising awareness, even in day-to-day conversations. We have created a turn-based card game to bring about such conversations on harms of vaping among peers,” said a grassroots leader of the Ci Yuan Youth Network who is involved in the development of the game.
15. Creating a nicotine-free Singapore requires a joint effort, with legislation, education and enforcement measures from the Government, support from the community and peers, as well as individuals making personal lifestyle changes.
[1] Brennan, E., Kahn, A., Kopyt, M., Khan, A., & Castillo, R. (2023, July 31). Don’t go vaping my heart: A case of vaping-associated cardiomyopathy and lung injury. Cureus. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10466449/
[2] Baenziger, O. N., Ford, L., Yazidjoglou, A., Joshy, G., & Banks, E. (2021). E-cigarette use and combustible tobacco cigarette smoking uptake among non-smokers, including relapse in former smokers: umbrella review, systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open, 11(3).
[3] O’Brien, D., Long, J., Quigley, J., Lee, C., McCarthy, A., & Kavanagh, P. (2021). Association between electronic cigarette use and tobacco cigarette smoking initiation in adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Public Health, 21.
[4] National Academies of Sciences, E., and Medicine,. (2018). Public Health Consequences of E-Cigarettes.
[5] Coleman, B., Rostron, B., Johnson, S. E., Persoskie, A., Pearson, J., Stanton, C., Choi, K., Anic, G., Goniewicz, M. L., Cummings, K. M., Kasza, K. A., Silveira, M. L., Delnevo, C., Niaura, R., Abrams, D. B., Kimmel, H. L., Borek, N., Compton, W. M., & Hyland, A. (2019). Transitions in electronic cigarette use among adults in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study, Waves 1 and 2 (2013-2015). Tobacco Control, 28(1), 50-59.