A MAJOR STUDY has provided fresh evidence that e-cigarettes are hooking a new generation of Irish people on nicotine, rather than helping people quit smoking.

The research, published in The Lancet Regional Health Europe medical journal, found the number of people who vape or both vape and smoke has increased substantially.

But the link between using both vapes and cigarettes and having an intention to quit has weakened, researchers from the HSE, Trinity College, RCSI and University College Cork, found.

Vapes do not appear to be acting as a support for quitting or trying to quit smoking, the researchers concluded.

They said their findings point to a “significant public health concern” and called for “urgent” new measures to reduce vaping, beyond the existing ban on sales to under-18s, and plans to restrict promotion and flavours.

The researchers suggested Australian legislation restricting e-cigarette sales to pharmacies should be carefully examined.

Smoking in Ireland has declined over the past decade – but the rate at which it’s declining has stalled since 2019.

Young people vaping

The findings were particularly stark for young people.

Nicotine product use increased 20-fold among 15-24-year-olds between 2015 and 2023, with a sharp rise particularly since 2019 – around the time disposable vapes first came on the market.

Whereas one in five young people used nicotine in 2015, this had risen to almost one in three by 2023.

By 2023, those aged 15-23 were the most likely of any age-group to use vapes only (and not cigarettes). People with “white Irish ethnicity” were also more likely to exclusively vape.

The researchers noted that concerns about the health risks associated with e-cigarettes are growing, with studies pointing to a higher risk of cardiovascular, respiratory and oral disease, as well as metabolic dysfunction.

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The role of e-cigarettes in quitting smoking is more contested, however.

A Cochrane review – a highly reputable systematic review of health research – published earlier this year reported high-certainty evidence that vapes are more likely to help people quit smoking than nicotine patches or gum. This was based on randomised controlled trials.

However, real-world evidence that vaping is an effective tool for quitting smoking is weaker – and when it comes to kids and young adults, there is a body of evidence showing vaping substantially increases the likelihood of taking up smoking.

The Lancet study was based on seven waves of data from the nationally representative Healthy Ireland survey, with over 52,000 subjects.