E-cigarette ads seen by 60% of school children: survey

• comments
• 
• 

Too many school kids are being exposed to e-cigarette marketing, a Scottish government-commissioned survey said, BBC reports.

The research found that majority of secondary school pupils in Scotland have been exposed to a wide range of marketing and promotional materials of e-cigarettes. The Scottish government is pushing to ban the sale of e-cigs to youth below 18, "proxy purchase" by adults for teens, and restriction of marketing materials of such products.

According to The National, the research showed that among the 2,016 children aged 11 to 18 years, 23% have seen or heard advertisements on television or radio in the past week, and 26% of them had seen outdoor advertisements. Moreover, 60% of the students in the survey had seen e-cigarettes for sale in shops, shopping centers, and stalls.

The research also showed that 16% of these pupils also admitted to using an e-cigarette at some point, and 5% of them who had never smoked tobacco had tried e-cigarettes. According to the respondents, factors for use include curiosity and motivation by seeing a friend or family member.

BBC reports that according to public health minister Maureen Watt, "This is an extremely useful survey, that gives us one of the first good indications of young people's awareness and experience of e-cigarettes."

She added, "Of particular interest is the large number of children who are being exposed to marketing of these products."

Watt also said, "While more research is needed, e-cigarettes are almost certainly less harmful than tobacco and if people are using them as an aid to quit smoking that is a good thing."

However, Reuters recently reported that according to US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), there isn't enough evidence to prove that e-cigarettes are safe and effective for smoking cessation. In fact, Dr. Francisco Garcia, a task force member and researcher at the University of Arizona, said, "The task force recommends that clinicians direct patients who smoke tobacco to other cessation interventions with established effectiveness and safety. Many studies show that combinations of behavioral interventions or pharmacotherapies can help the most."

According to The National, the Scottish government's two main concerns about e-cigarette use among children are that this may lead to tobacco use and may undermine the campaigns to denormalize smoking.

According to Watt, "The Scottish Government does not believe that children should have access to them. This is the balance we are aiming for in our forthcoming Health Bill."

She also said that the government is looking to work with manufacturers in regards to e-cigarette marketing.

"We would consult with stakeholders to consider where exemptions might apply, such as at point of sale where adult smokers who might benefit from e-cigarettes and can find out more about the products," said Watt.