New research shows that perceptions among teens about the dangers of e-cigarettes vary depending on a variety of things like gender and socioeconomics. According to the American Heart Association’s Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science study, whether teens believe nicotine and vaping products are harmful is largely due to gender, household income, and education level.
“Girls are 60% more likely than boys to perceive harm from e-cigarettes, while suburban residents were 33% more likely to perceive e-cigarettes as harmful compared to urban teen residents,” said licensed clinical social worker and certified tobacco specialist Josh Pitre.
Pitre says with mixed views from teens on the dangers of vaping it’s extremely important for parents to maintain an open dialogue with their children as young as age five on the consequences of all nicotine.
“Think more than cigarettes. Explain that smokeless tobacco like dip, chew, e-cigarettes, vaping, all include nicotine which is an addiction and there are also all of these additives that are in these products that are causing our cancers, causing our heart conditions and things of that nature,” said Pitre.
The study shows that one in four high school students use e-cigarettes and the trend among middle school students has increased 50-percent. Pitre says a parent’s education level can skew a teen’s outlook on vaping.
“Unfortunately education has something to do with this as well so teens whose parents have obtained higher levels of education are 31% more likely than those with less education to think that e-cigarettes are harmful,” said Pitre.
Pitre hopes the new federal law to raise the national minimum age to purchase nicotine products to 21 will soon be a major deterrent among teens.
