In Vancouver, Canada, a pediatrician believes that parents and doctors who ask teens if they smoke should also ask them now if they use the electronic cigarette.
« In particular, vaping, which is used to quit smoking, may develop nicotine addiction and even gesture in non-smoking adolescents.“, Warns doctor Michael Khoury. The pediatric cardiology resident conducted a study of 2300 high school students in the Niagara region.
Dr. Khoury discovered that more 10% of these teenagers had already been vaping. Another study commissioned by the Public Health Agency of Canada earlier this year gave even higher rates: 15% of girls and 21% of boys of the same age had already tried the electronic cigarette.
According to Dr. Khoury, " most teens vapotent (75%) because it is "cool", fun and new but certainly not to stop smoking, as do their parents. In addition, teens are now more likely to smoke than to smoke conventional cigarettes.
But this practice, which still imitates the physical act of smoking, could lead then to a trivialization of the conventional cigarette, fears Dr. Khoury. However, the teenagers had been
were raised in an environment where cigarettes were clearly seen as bad for their health.
According to Dr. Khoury, at least two American studies have concluded that young people who are vaping are more likely to smoke cigarettes later on.
Most provinces have legislated to regulate the sale and advertising of electronic cigarettes. There are some voices calling for the federal government to lead the way and allow the sale of these products only to adults.
Dr. Khoury believes that vaping will become a serious public health problem, and that parents, doctors and schools should be serious about it. The results of his study were published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Source : JournalMetro.com
