Vaping: Insights from young people and professionals in 2022–2023
The Qualitative Insight Team in Public Health gathered insight on vaping in Wirral from young people and professionals. The insights describe the prevalence and allure of vaping, access to vapes, gaps in knowledge around vaping harms, and challenges of regulating vaping.
Insights gathered: October 2022 - March 2023
Insights gathered by
Qualitative Insight Team, Public Health, Wirral Council.
Aim
The insights on vaping in Wirral were gathered as part of wider pieces of research into young people’s risk-taking behaviours and resilience. The aim of the research was to understand the pressures that young people experience and what helps or prevents them from accessing support.
People engaged with
Insights on vaping were gathered from young people aged 11–19 (Year 7, Year 9 and Year 13 students) and professionals working in youth services.
Methods
The insights were gathered through focus groups with young people and professionals. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes.
Key insights
Prevalence of vaping: Vaping was perceived to have overtaken smoking as a popular trend. Year 7 and Year 9 students said that vaping was popular in the school toilets, while Year 13s said the college smoking area is always full of people vaping. Professionals are seeing vaping starting at young ages – an example was given of a primary school student using vapes to manage ADHD.
The ‘allure’ of vaping: The smell, taste and visual appearance of vapes were thought to be encouraging young people to try them. There was concern that vapes are being marketed to young people as a healthier option to cigarettes.
Access to vapes: Year 13 students described how they purchase vapes from the corner shop near the college. Year 7, 9 and 13 students raised concerns with how easy it is for people who are underage to access vapes. They also recognised that vendors may misinform young people about the health risks of vaping in order to make sales.
Gaps in knowledge about vaping: There was uncertainty among young people around what vapes contain, their possible dangers to health, and their addictiveness.
Impact on school experience: A Year 9 student described how vaping impacts their time at school: they said that checks for vapes before exams causes them additional stress. They explained how they don't like the smell of vapes in the school toilets, so they cover their mouth and rush out. They were concerned about getting the smell on their clothes and being accused of vaping.
Managing peer pressure: Year 7 and 9s said that the ability to say no to vaping depends on a young person’s:
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Personality
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Confidence
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Anxieties
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Relationships with friends and family
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Fear of being bullied
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Knowledge of what vapes contain
Barriers to getting support: Year 7s and Year 9s said they may not reach out for support for vaping due to fear of:
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Gossiping, fallouts and name calling
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“Mates could turn on you”.
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“Telling the wrong person”
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Teachers escalating issues to senior staff
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Getting told off by parents
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“Overprotective parents”
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Detention/exclusion/suspension
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Breaches to confidentiality
Challenges of regulating vaping: Professionals that work closely with schools said that managing vaping is a big concern for schools. Professionals noted that there is a lack of consistency in how different schools address substance misuse and vaping. Regulating what goes on in the school toilets is also difficult. Professionals pointed out that it can be hard for teachers/professionals to educate about the risks of vaping when there is conflicting information. Year 9 students highlighted that vapes are easy to hide in blazer pockets.
Quotes
“Some shops sell vapes to under-age kids because they just want the money, and they don’t want to listen.”
“They scan you with a metal detector when you come into school…You have to lift your arms up and empty everything out of your pockets before the exams, it’s so stressful. Once it got caught on one of my badges, I was so scared.”
How have the insights been used/shared?
The insights contributed to a wider collation of new and existing insights (both qualitative and quantitative) on young people’s risk-taking and health-related behaviours by Wirral’s Public Health team and Children and Young People’s department. Together, the insights supported the commissioning of a coordinated ‘risk and resilience’ offer that meets the identified needs and is improving outcomes for families.
The vaping insights were also submitted to a call for evidence on youth vaping by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities in 2023.
Online links
To see the summary PowerPoint, visit: https://www.wirralhealthwellbeingknowledgehub.co.uk/media/od0nihic/vaping-insight-from-young-people-and-professionals-accchkdjh-03-07-23.pdf
To see the call for evidence on youth vaping by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, visit:
https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/youth-vaping-call-for-evidence/outcome/youth-vaping-call-for-evidence-analysis