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As vaping rates among South African teens reach alarming heights, public health researchers from the University of Cape Town (UCT) are calling on the government to swiftly enact the Tobacco Products & Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill.<\/span><\/p>\n This legislation aims to regulate vaping products and protect South African youth from a burgeoning nicotine addiction crisis that could escalate into a national epidemic.<\/span><\/p>\n This urgent appeal follows the release of a groundbreaking study \u2014 the largest of its kind in South Africa \u2014 conducted by UCT researchers in collaboration with Utrecht University in the Netherlands.<\/span><\/p>\n Published in The Lancet\u2019s eClinical Medicine, the study surveyed 25,000 pupils from 52 fee-paying high schools nationwide, uncovering troubling trends related to adolescent vaping.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIn South Africa, where tobacco control has made strides, the rapid rise in vaping among adolescents is a new public health challenge,\u201d said Samantha Filby, co-author of the study and a researcher at UCT\u2019s School of Economics. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted to quantify the burden and were driven by global alarm bells, like the World Health Organization\u2019s 2023 warning about e-cigarette promotion targeting the youth.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Teen vaping by the numbers<\/strong><\/p>\n The study reveals a startling picture of teen vaping in South Africa, filling a critical knowledge gap:<\/span><\/p>\n Nearly 17% of surveyed learners are current vape users.<\/span><\/p>\n Among them, 38.3% vape daily.<\/span><\/p>\n Over 50% vape more than four days a week.<\/span><\/p>\n Alarmingly, 88% of current users reported using products containing nicotine.<\/span><\/p>\n The study also investigated addiction signs, revealing that 47% of teen vapers use their devices within an hour of waking, a significant indicator of dependence. <\/span><\/p>\n Additionally, 11.8% stated they could not get through the school day without vaping, and 24.9% admitted feeling anxious or angry if unable to vape for a prolonged period.<\/span><\/p>\n Filby noted, \u201cWe constructed a novel vape dependence score that shows 60% of adolescent vapers exhibit high vape dependence. This underscores vaping as a significant addiction for a large portion of young users and highlights the urgent need to strengthen prevention efforts.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n A new kind of epidemic<\/strong><\/p>\n Professor Richard van Zyl-Smit, lead author of the study, emphasised that the scale of nicotine dependence observed is unprecedented compared to traditional cigarette use among teens. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe extent of use and dependence on nicotine is something researchers had never encountered with traditional cigarettes in the past,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n Tackling the \u201cDangerous\u201d myth of safe vaping<\/strong><\/p>\n To combat this crisis, UCT researchers suggest that education must begin early.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAddressing the current crisis is possible with the right interventions; it all starts with debunking the dangerous myth that vaping is safe,\u201d Filby stated.<\/span><\/p>\n She advocated for comprehensive education about the harms of vaping from primary school level, alongside tailored psychosocial support for those already addicted. <\/span><\/p>\n However, Filby cautioned that education alone is insufficient.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat we need is regulation \u2014 to ban ads targeting youth and enforce age limits to reduce appeal and access,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n The accessibility of vape products, often available through popular delivery apps like Checkers Sixty60 and UberEats, intensifies the challenge.<\/span><\/p>\n The proposed bill includes restrictions on vape marketing, which could help demystify vaping and reduce its glamourisation among youth.<\/span><\/p>\n A whole-community response needed<\/strong><\/p>\n The researchers stress the importance of engaging schools, parents, and healthcare professionals in this fight against teen vaping. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe want to ignite action, push lawmakers to regulate vaping, and equip schools, parents, and the public health community with knowledge.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe need to shift public perception towards the reality that we do have a public health crisis in the making, and we need to address it,\u201d Filby stated. <\/span><\/p>\n According to the researchers, parents and educators must be empowered to recognise signs of vaping and understand its underlying drivers, such as peer pressure and mental health struggles. <\/span><\/p>\n They concluded by suggesting that healthcare providers should also begin screening for vape use during routine check-ups to guide addicted teens toward recovery support.<\/span><\/p>\n thabo.makwakwa@inl.co.za<\/em><\/p>\n Politics<\/strong><\/p>\n As vaping rates among South African teens reach alarming heights, public health researchers from the University of Cape Town (UCT) are calling on the government to swiftly enact the Tobacco Products & Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill. This legislation aims to regulate vaping products and protect South African youth from a burgeoning nicotine addiction crisis […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[18207,52,466,18208,433,51,9320,7065,18206],"class_list":["post-237191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-politics","tag-addicted","tag-african","tag-call","tag-nicotene","tag-regulation","tag-south","tag-teen","tag-urgent","tag-vapers"],"yoast_head":"\nGet your news on the go, click <\/strong>here to join the News WhatsApp channel.<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
Get your news on the go, click <\/span>here to join the News WhatsApp channel.<\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"