The number of adults vaping in England who have never regularly smoked has increased sharply since 2021, when disposable e-cigarettes first became popular, according to a new study by UCL researchers. The study, published in Lancet Public Health and funded by Cancer Research UK, estimated that, as of April 2024, about one million adults who had never regularly smoked now vaped in England, a sevenfold increase since 2021, with most of them vaping daily and over a sustained period. This increase was largely driven by young adults, with an estimated one in seven 18-24-year-olds (14%) who never regularly smoked now using e-cigarettes.
Despite this increase in vaping among people without a smoking history, the researchers found that, among the adult population in England overall, the rise in vaping had leveled off since early 2023. The study looked at survey data collected between 2016 and 2024 from 153,073 adults (18 and over) in England, of whom 94,107 had never regularly smoked tobacco. The public health impact of this substantial rise in vaping among people who have never regularly smoked will depend on what these people would otherwise be doing.
It is likely that some would have smoked if vaping were not an available option. In this case, vaping is clearly less harmful. However, for those who would not have gone on to smoke, vaping regularly over a sustained period poses more risk than not vaping.
" Dr. Sarah Jackson, Lead Author, UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care Fo.
