A big year for e-cigs
In the EU, plans were approved to regulate the sale of e-cigarettes. However, across the pond, America is busy regulating e-cigs on certain grounds.
On home soil, there have been calls for warnings on e-cigarettes, as a Freedom of Information request revealed that there have been more than 100 fires caused by e-cigarettes over the past two years. From a public health perspective, the Welsh Government is moving ahead with plans to ban the use of e-cigarettes in enclosed public spaces over fears that e-cigs are renormalizing smoking.
From a cultural perspective, the UK's first vape café opened its doors earlier this year and we have seen the first e-cig advert air on TV. VIP, an e-cigarette company, aired three adverts on TV – all later banned. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received around 200 complaints on the third advert, while the previous two received more than 1,150 complaints, after many felt the adverts were very sexual with references to oral sex and exploiting women.
Earlier this year, we completed a research project focused on youth smoking in North Wales, which found that 11 and 12 year old girls were aware of e-cigarettes, knew where to get them from, and some had already tried them. Following this, we became intrigued by the use of e-cigarette use in England amongst teenagers.
On the back of the youth smoking project, we carried out a quick survey with secondary schools in England, exploring if some schools were witnessing e-cigarette use in young people as well finding out what policies (if any) they have in place. We discovered that in 53 schools across England up to 500 e-cigarettes were being confiscated on a weekly basis.
Having spoken to tobacco leads based across the country, it is apparent that e-cigarettes has become an emerging issue in public health. Starting from January, we will be working with Lincolnshire County Council and Oxfordshire County Council on developing an understanding of e-cigarette use, as well as understanding their attitudes and behaviours to vaping.
Lincolnshire County Council aren’t alone in being cautious about e-cigarettes; at the 2014 Public Health England conference in Warwick, we talked to public health professionals and conducted a survey asking them their views on e-cigarettes. The majority of public health professionals felt that e-cigarettes should face the same advertising restrictions as tobacco cigarettes and some thought that e-cigarettes should be banned indoors.
So what awaits e-cigarettes for 2015 and beyond? As previously mentioned, e-cigarettes will face tough regulation in the EU which will see them categorized as a medicine or a tobacco related product (depending on the level of nicotine). Following the banning of three e-cigarette adverts that were aired this year, it won’t be too surprising if regulation around advertising e-cigarettes emerges in 2015.
More research and more work must be carried out on e-cigarettes in the UK – we still don’t understand enough about the devices in terms of health (of users and second-hand vapour) and social impact (whether non-smokers are uptaking the use of e-cigarettes). The USA is taking forward thinking steps in gaining a stronger and wider understanding of the use of e-cigarettes. A team from Arizona received a grant to examine the use of e-cigarettes on social media (such as Twitter, Facebook etc.) – from attitudes and behaviour, to marketing of e-cigarettes on social media. This five-year study will provide a vast amount of information.
There is much anticipation from both sides on the future of e-cigarettes as for every study that argues for e-cigarettes, another argues against. What’s being forgotten in the process, is that a constant tit for tat between the two sides is leaving smokers who are wanting to stop smoking more confused about whether e-cigarettes are safe to use.
To find out more about how we can help you in your local area with research on e-cigarettes, please get in touch with our research team and a member of our team will talk to you about what we are able to offer and how we can help.
