Study Shows Majority of UAE Teen E-Cigarette Use Out of Curiosity

A study conducted in the United Arab Emirates has revealed that 68% of teenagers who have tried electronic cigarettes claim they have never tried traditional smoking.

The primary reasons for teenagers experimenting with e-cigarettes, according to data from thousands of teenagers, are curiosity (66%) and their friends using them (29%), with only 3% stating they are trying to quit smoking.

At the same time, researchers have found that young people whose parents smoke are 55% more likely to try electronic cigarettes.

A new study presented at the European Respiratory Society international conference in Barcelona has found that young people are 51% more likely to try smoking.

Professor Luke Clancy, director of the research institute, stated that "we have found that Irish teenagers are increasingly using electronic cigarettes, a phenomenon that is occurring in other parts of the world.

People have thought that e-cigarettes are a better choice than smoking, but our research suggests that this is not applicable to young people who have not tried traditional cigarettes. This indicates that for adolescents, e-cigarettes are a pathway to nicotine addiction, rather than a way to break free from it.

Dr. Joan Hanafin, Chief Researcher, stated that "We can observe a rapid change in the number of adolescents using e-cigarettes, thus it is necessary to continue monitoring the situation in Ireland and worldwide.

We also plan to conduct research on social media to understand how it influences teenagers' use of e-cigarettes.

Professor Jonathan Grigg, Chairman of the Tobacco Control Committee of the European Respiratory Society, expressed concern over the findings of this study. He stated, "These findings are alarming, not only for Irish teenagers but for families worldwide.

Earlier this year, a report by Action on Smoking and Health found that the proportion of children using e-cigarettes is on the rise, with many being influenced by social media sites such as TikTok.

A study published in July in the United Arab Emirates found that one in five college students had tried electronic cigarettes.

While it is illegal to sell e-cigarettes to those under the age of 18, the proportion of children aged 11 to 17 using e-cigarettes has jumped from 4% in 2020 to 7% this year.

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