Alarming Figures of Individuals Now Vape, Warns Global Health Authority
In excess of 100 million people, featuring at bare minimum 15 million children, now use e-cigarettes, fueling a recent wave of nicotine dependency, per latest global health findings.
Minors are, on average, nine times more prone than mature individuals to engage in vaping, based on existing global data.
Electronic cigarettes are propelling a "new wave" of nicotine dependency, commented a senior health representative. "These devices are promoted as risk reduction but, actually, are addicting children on nicotine at younger ages and threaten undermining decades of improvement."
Young People Being 'Aimed At'
"Millions of people are stopping, or avoiding tobacco consumption because of tobacco control measures by nations throughout the world," he commented.
"As an answer to this significant progress, the tobacco sector is resisting with recent nicotine items, aggressively aiming at adolescents. Governments must act quicker and more vigorously in enacting proven tobacco-control measures," he continued.
The vaping figures are an estimate since numerous countries - 109 in sum, and many in Africa and South-East Asia - do not gather statistics.
Per the study, as of recent February this year, at least 86 million e-cigarette individuals were grown-ups, mostly in developed states.
And at bare minimum 15 million adolescents aged 13 and 15 currently engage in vaping, based on research from 123 countries.
Although many states have made efforts to introduce e-cigarette rules to address child vaping in recent years, by the end of 2024, 62 countries yet had no policy in effect, and 74 states had no age limit at which e-cigarettes can be acquired, says the medical authority.
Meanwhile, tobacco usage has been declining - from an estimated 1.38 billion consumers in 2000 to 1.2 billion in 2024.
Occurrence of tobacco use among women dropped the greatest - from 11% in 2010 to 6.6% in 2024.
For males, the drop was from 41.4% in 2010 to 32.5% in 2024.
But a fifth of grown-ups globally even now uses tobacco.
Smoking is linked to many illnesses, like cancer.
Professionals state vaping is far less damaging than traditional cigarettes, and can assist you quit smoking. It is not recommended for non-smokers.
Vaping devices eliminate burning tobacco and do not create tar or CO, a pair of the most dangerous components in tobacco fumes. They contain nicotine, which can be dependency-creating.
