Health – Youth vaping rates drop, but ‘cannot take our foot off the pedal’

Overall youth vaping rates in New Zealand have dropped more than 50 per cent over the past three years, a new survey shows.

The 2024 ARFNZ/SPANZ/NZAIMS Vaping in New Zealand Youth Survey, released today, reveals that vaping among students in Years 9 to 13 has dropped considerably, with 12 per cent vaping in the last seven days – down from 27 per cent in 2021.

The survey also shows that 3 per cent of Year 7 and 8 students had vaped in the last seven days. This is the first survey to look at the prevalence of vaping across both intermediate and secondary schools, including students as young as 10 years old.

Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ Chief Executive Ms Letitia Harding says she is pleased with the overall results as they show that tighter regulations and on-the-ground education are having a positive impact.

“Since 2017 we have been strongly advocating for tighter regulations to prevent the uptake of youth vaping – that’s seven years of battling vaping, but we’ve finally got some wins.

“Though we’re seeing lower rates of youth vaping overall, we cannot take our foot off the pedal.”

Unfortunately, vaping has increased among older students, Ms Harding says.

In the 2021 survey, 17 per cent of Year 12s and 13 per cent of Year 13s had vaped in the last seven days. This survey reported that 20 per cent of Year 12s and 26 per cent of Year 13s had vaped in the last seven days.

“This tells us that students who were in Year 10 in 2021 have continued to vape, and we are now capturing their habits as Year 13s in this survey,” she says.

“These are the students that have fallen through the cracks – and the ones we need to continue to support.”

Of those students who had vaped in the last seven days, nearly half of those reported that vaping is harming their health, with 23 per cent of those vaping daily and 42 per cent vaping several times a day, Ms Harding says.

“Even more alarmingly, some youth are waking in the middle of the night just to vape.”

Māori students have the highest weekly vaping rates – nearly twice the rate of NZ European students – followed by Pacific students, Ms Harding says.

Foundation Medical Director Professor Bob Hancox says the survey results contain both good and bad news.

“Vaping rates among younger students have fallen dramatically, which suggests that the regulations and educational efforts to reduce youth vaping have been effective.

“However, vaping has increased among older students and rates in Year 13 students are now twice as high as 2021,” he says.

“This shows that older students are finding ways to get around the regulations.”

More than a quarter of Year 13 students vaped in the last week, with many consuming high nicotine doses, Professor Hancox says.

“It is alarming that so many report symptoms of nicotine addiction.”

The findings highlight the need for further tightening of the regulations, continued education, and targeted interventions for young people addicted to vaping, Professor Hancox says.

“We need to do everything we possibly can to avoid a new epidemic of nicotine addiction among a generation of young people.”