Introduction
Tobacco usage and purchase have shifted to the utilization of substitute products, including e-nicotine. Vaping products are designed to trigger smoking’s sensory experience without combustion. Although the above-mentioned product’s aerosol contains lower concentrations and fewer carcinogens and toxicants than combustible tobacco cigarettes, they have been associated with a specific level (Chao, Hashimoto, and Kondo, 2019, p. 7). Understanding the prevalence of vaping among youths, the factors that trigger the incidence rates, and the health effects linked to vaping is therefore crucial.
Terms of Reference
Purpose
This paper aims to analyze the prevalence of vaping among youths in Ireland, the primary causes of vaping, its health effects, and a recommendation for the appropriate approach to prevent e-cigarette use in Ireland.
Limits of the Report
The report only incorporated the findings derived from primary qualitative and quantitative research.
Methodology
This study adopted the systematic review approach: a comprehensive literature search was conducted to distinguish surveys associated with e-cigarettes, factors related to their use, and their health impacts. Four healthcare-related databases, including PubMed, CINHAL, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library, were searched. A specific set of pertinent search terms were utilized singly or combined during this process. These phrases included vaping, vapes, e-cigarette (s), youths/adolescents/young adults, electronic cigarette (s), electronic nicotine delivery system (s), electronic nicotine device, and health impacts/effects.
The inclusion/exclusion criteria for the articles about this review incorporated several stipulations: 1. They had to be inscribed and printed in English. 2. They must highlight either the impacts or causes of e-cigarettes’ use among youths or both. 3. Be printed or issued in a peer-reviewed journal or government-sponsored website. 4. Be available in the public domain. 5. Be published within 2015 and 2020. The information contained in 10 articles was considered appropriate for this particular analysis.
Findings and Discussion
There has been a considerable increase in the prevalence of vaping among young adults. For instance, a survey by Keogan et al. (2016, p. 6) uncovered the popularity of e-cigarette’ use among Ireland’s youthful populace, with approximately a quarter of the participants reporting its usage. The research further revealed the doubling rate of the above-mentioned device’s use among smokers. The outcomes of the studies described above demonstrate the prevalence of this e-nicotine device’s use among youths.
Adolescents’ perception of the risk of harm or addiction linked to vaping varies significantly. Rusell, Katsampouris, and Mckeganey (2020, p. 714) conducted a survey to assess young adults’ viewpoints concerning the dangers and likelihood of e-cigarette addiction. The findings revealed that many youths believed that e-cigarettes posed minimal health risks compared to traditional cigarettes (Rusell, Katsampouris, and Mckeganey, 2020, p. 717). Participants also held a fallacious belief that vaping is linked with no threats to one’s well-being or the probability of addiction (Rusell, Katsampouris, and Mckeganey, 2020, p. 717).
The research outcomes also demonstrated that young adults who were currently using the above-mentioned product were highly likely to correlate its consumption with low-to-no health-related risks. Furthermore, Rusell, Katsampouris, and Mckeganey (2020, p. 718) revealed that the perceptions of the dangers of tobacco serve as an indicator of an individual’s likelihood to continue or begin using e-cigarettes or other related products. People with inadequate knowledge of vaping’s adverse health effects of vaping are more likely to utilize it.
The significant increase in the prevalence of vaping among this populace segment may be ascribed to its promotional strategies. E-cigarettes’ marketing approach creates the mirage that it is healthier and safer than traditional tobacco cigarettes (Perikleous et al., 2018, p. 3). One’s economic status presents a significantly high odds of utilizing e-nicotine devices. Another survey identified e-cigarette marketing through TV ads and various social media platforms as a mediator in the interconnection between vaping among adolescents and socioeconomic status (SES) (Simon et al., 2018, p. 195). According to this study’s findings, a significant association existed between higher SES and recent substantial exposure to advertisements (Simon et al., 2018, p. 195). This consequently impacted the increased frequency of e-nicotine device use.
Tobacco-related attributes act as crucial factors which trigger e-cigarette consumption. For instance, the findings of the study by Perikleous et al. (2018, p. 5) revealed an interconnection between the recurrent use of tobacco products including water pipes and snus, peers smoking, smoking by a household member, as well as daily smoking and e-cigarette use. Moreover, poor academic performance, school absenteeism, and learning in a disadvantaged institution are also interlinked with the daily and ever-use of e-cigarettes (Kinouani et al., 2019, p. 3). Gender and social influence are also critical predictors of e-nicotine device use.
Vaping products have also been linked to high nicotine levels. This viewpoint is supported by a survey by Evans-Police et al. (2018, p. 458), whose findings revealed that JUUL, a popular e-cigarette brand, contains 59mg/ml or 5% of nicotine. This rate is equivalent to the nicotine amounts contained in approximately twenty traditional cigarettes. Nicotine may cause impairments in executive function and memory as well as cognitive deficits (Jones and Salzman, 2020). Keygen et al. (2016, p. 6) further link e-cigarettes’ use with impulsive deportment modifications and hyperactivity among this populace segment.
Another study revealed the increased probability of alcohol and marijuana use, attempted suicide, and physical fighting among adolescents who vaped (Perikleous et al., 2018, p. 6). These devices also contain varying nicotine levels, improper product labeling, aerosolization differences, and incompatible delivery of nicotine when the device is in use (Green et al., 2020, p. 5). These variations underscore the lack of quality standards in its production process, which pose a significant health concern.
Furthermore, vaping has been associated with an elevated risk of nicotine addiction; it increases a person’s likelihood of utilizing combustible cigarettes. The findings of the study by McKeganey et al. (2019, p. 4) revealed that youths who vape are four times more likely to record the use of conventional cigarettes in their adulthood. Flavoring additives and chemicals contained in e-cigarettes have also been associated with various health issues.
Several laboratory analyses have demonstrated varying carcinogenic content, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, metals, and aldehydes in this product. For instance, vapes consisting of cinnamaldehyde have been linked to the impaired functioning of the mucociliary system within the epithelial cells of the bronchi (McKeganey et al., 2019, p. 4). Currently, there is no governmental legislation in Ireland that ensures the accuracy of e-cigarette labels. These outcomes indicate that vaping causes nicotine addiction and cancer-related health risks.
In conclusion, from the above analysis, it is evident that vaping among young adults in Ireland is an issue of concern. The findings from various studies also highlight adolescents’ minimal knowledge of the health effects of vaping. The surveys included in this review also ascribe the increased incidence of vaping among this populace segment to the current marketing trends. One’s gender, socio-economic status, tobacco-related factors, poor academic performance, school absenteeism, and social influence also act as motivating factors for vaping among adolescents. Researchers also associate e-cigarettes with various health effects, including nicotine addiction.
Recommendations
The following recommendations will help address the vaping epidemic among young adults. First, healthcare practitioners should advocate for the enactment of laws and policies that regulate the promotional approaches adopted by manufacturers, the minimum age for purchasing e-cigarettes, and the appropriate labeling of the vaping products’ contents. Their advocacy should also target this device’s use in smoke-free statutes. Second, healthcare professionals should educate youths about the health effects of vaping. Third, policies and strategies aimed to rehabilitate patients addicted to nicotine as a result of vaping should also be instituted as a health promotional approach. The implementation of relevant regulations and procedures will help minimize vaping prevalence among adolescents.
Reference List
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