Vaping poses significant risk to children, adolescents: Paediatricians

OTTAWA – Often framed as a less harmful alternative to smoking, vaping poses significant risks to the health of Canadian children and youth and should not be used as a smoking cessation or harm reduction strategy for that population. That’s the message in a new guidance document from the Canadian Paediatric Society providing health care professionals with information about vaping trends, as well as prevention and cessation strategies.

“What we’re seeing is that e-cigarettes, or vapes, have become popular with teens – the majority of whom did not previously smoke cigarettes,” said Dr. Nicholas Chadi, the lead author of the CPS statement. “We’re at risk of losing the progress made in reducing rates of teen smoking and seeing a new generation of youth addicted to nicotine.”

While substance use by children and youth has been generally declining over the past decade, vaping is bucking that trend – with a 2020 Statistics Canada Survey indicating that 35% of Canadian youth aged 15-19 had tried it, and 14% had vaped in the past 30 days.

Because vaping is still a relatively new trend, its long-term consequences are still largely unknown. Short- and medium-term health risks – including lung injuries and nicotine and cannabis use disorders – are well documented.

“Health care providers should address vaping with every adolescent they see, starting at 12 years old,” continued Dr. Chadi, an adolescent medicine and addictions specialist at CHU Sainte-Justine in Montreal. “The earlier a youth begins using nicotine or cannabis, the greater their risk for developing a substance use disorder in the future.”

The CPS recommends that clinicians assess their patient’s motivation to reduce or quit vaping and co-develop a plan that includes appropriate follow-up care. Treatment approaches should be tailored to the teen’s individual situation and preferences, and could include behavioural or pharmacological interventions.

Emerging evidence suggests that interventions led by schools, local public health units, and youth organizations can significantly help to reduce and prevent youth vaping.

Recommendations for community stakeholders and policy makers include:

• Educate youth about the risks of vaping through school curricula and local health initiatives informed by public health experts and free from industry influence and bias
• Facilitate access to health and counselling services for youth instead of using disciplinary consequences as intervention
• Include vaping in smoke-free policies whenever and wherever they apply
• Strictly regulate where and how vaping products can be purchases and meaningfully increase enforcement to prevent the sale of unregulated products
• Make nicotine replacement therapy and other medications used to reduce or stop vaping available to youth at no cost

A clinical tool and information for families accompany the guidance document. All material can be accessed at www.cps.ca/en/vaping.

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About the Canadian Paediatric Society

The Canadian Paediatric Society is a national advocacy association that promotes the health needs of children and youth. Founded in 1922, the CPS represents more than 3,300 paediatricians, paediatric subspecialists and other child health professionals across Canada.