A fresh international study shows that the incidence of youth vaping in Estonia, especially among girls is among the highest in Europe.
The common belief held by many young people that vaping poses no threat to health is not accurate, pulmonologist Ülle Ani said, adding many young people have fallen victim to advertising
“What they inhale from an e-cigarette contains at least 200 different chemical compounds, including nicotine. This is not vapor; it is smoke which being inhaled, and none of those chemical compounds are needed by the body,” she told “Aktuaalne kaamera.”
Nine out of 10 e-cigarette products favored by young people contain nicotine, and close to 70 percent contain flavorings, “Aktuaalne kaamera” reported.
According to a study covering 37 countries and released at the end of October, e-cigarette use among Estonian youth is among the highest, with only Hungary and Slovakia faring worse.
Sigrid Vorobjov, head of the risk behaviour studies department at the National Institute for Health Development (TAI), noted that while e-cigarette use has also been on the rise in other countries, in Estonia the sharpest rise has been seen among girls. Estonia also stands out in the young age at which young people are starting vaping.
Among under-13s in Estonia, one in three children has tried an e-cigarette, compared with only on in 20 in Portugal.
While risk behaviors are more typical of boys, the trend with nicotine shows it spreading especially among girls too and is in fact higher among under-13s: Thirty percent of girls in this age group report having vaped, compared with 29 percent of boys.
The use of other harmful products is also on the rise among youth and again particularly with girls.
“If we also compare the use of snus, there’s been some increase there as well, but the rise is specifically among girls. Why – it’s hard to point to one reason, likely shifts in roles, but also how and to whom these products are marketed, and who the role models are who use them. All of this influences young people,” Vorobjov said.
The issue has been observed at a lot of schools too.
Edgar Roditšenko, head of the Mahtra school in Tallinn, said vaping is a problem at all schools, partly due to a lack of parental concern in some quarters. Some parents have repeatedly raised the issue at the Mahtra school, but there are also those who do not see it as a problem, Roditšenko said.
E-cigarettes are seen as appealing to young people largely due to the taste, he added.
“Young people do it, especially children from the age of 11, for the taste. You really don’t have to be very smart to make the connection and make the decision to put an end to it,” he noted.
A law barring the sale of heated tobacco products with flavors and aromas which passed at the Riigikogu in April does not cover vaping and e-cigarettes. The domestic legislation enacts an EU directive.
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