Daily vaping rates among our youth are still too high,
the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation says.
This
follows the publication of the 2023 Topline ASH Year 10
Snapshot Survey results which show no decline in daily
vaping or smoking rates.
Foundation Chief Executive Ms
Letitia Harding says although it is positive to see the
regular use of vaping decline slightly overall for 14 and 15
year olds by 1.8%, daily vaping rates remain at 10% and this
is still way too high.
“Smoking rates were already on
a downwards trajectory, so vaping certainly wasn’t the
answer to quit smoking, and it never has
been.
“Unfortunately for our rangatahi, vaping was
just added to the mix – a new product that really didn’t
need to be there.”
The fact that 32% of Māori Year
10s, 22.5% Pacific (up from 19.8%) and 13.9% of European NZ
14- and 15-year-olds still vape regularly is not good
enough, Ms Harding says.
“We want to see it at
zero.”
Ms Harding attributes the regular vaping
decline to education.
“Knowledge is a powerful tool
and is key to reducing the use of vapes in our rangatahi,”
she says.
The Foundation has been raising awareness
and promoting education on the dangers of vaping through its
website, and through partnerships with other organisations
such as Life Education Trust NZ for years.
“This was
an investment we made early on, with no funding from the
Government,” Ms Harding says.
“We knew the demand was,
and still is there, and it would be great if the new
government recognised the work we have done in this space so
we can keep doing the mahi, but I’m not holding my
breath.”
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Sharon Pihema, the Foundation’s only Āpiha
Takawaenga Māori (Māori Community Liaison), offers youth
vaping education workshops and resources to schools around
the country, and the demand is huge.
“Schools and
parents have been struggling with a vaping epidemic for
nearly five years and that needs to change,” Ms Pihema
says.
“We need more education and more
support.
“When you hear of tamariki as young as 8
years old now addicted to vaping, it just shows how bad the
epidemic still is.”
Last month, the Foundation
released the first New Zealand guidelines to support youth
to quit vaping. ‘
A reference guide: To support rangatahi to quit
vaping’ is aimed at helping health professionals who
work with adolescents and young adults (AYA) to tackle
vaping and e-cigarette addiction.
The Foundation’s
work raising public awareness and education around the harms
of vaping was recognised earlier this year by The Thoracic
Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ) when Ms Harding
received the 2023 President’s Award, an award first
presented to former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark
for her commitment to lung
health.
© Scoop Media
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