Only 1% of those who didn’t vape became heavy cigarettes smokers.
Teenagers are known to be a little careless and rebels and when it come to new experiences they are the first to try them out. This is why so many teens are smoking. They can start out from vaping, which is the use of electronic cigarettes and then they can develop a habit and start smoking regular cigarettes.
A new study shows that teenagers who use electronic cigarettes are more likely to become heavy cigarettes smokers in only 6 months. This study analyzed 3,000 students from high schools in Los Angeles. The students were in 10th grade which means that they were 15 years old.
In order to conduct this study, the researchers monitored the students 2 years ago in the fall and 6 months after that. They wanted to see if teens who used electronic cigarettes were more likely to become heavy cigarettes smokers.
The findings showed that teens who vape were 10 times more likely to become heavy cigarettes smokers after only 6 compared to those who didn’t try electronic cigarettes at all. This study also showed that more than 20% of teens who vape became cigarette smokers in less than 6 months. On the other hand, those who didn’t try electronic cigarettes were less likely to start smoking. Only 1% of those who didn’t vape became heavy cigarettes smokers.
The findings also showed that the more people use electronic cigarettes the more cigarettes they will smoke. The researchers mentioned that the connection between electronic cigarettes and normal ones is that they both contain nicotine. This substance has an addicting effect, especially on teenagers.
This is why teenagers who have vaped will like their first cigarette because they were previously exposed to nicotine. Those who haven’t smoked in the past and never tried an electronic cigarette will probably dislike the taste of cigarettes and the smell. This is non-vapers are less likely to become heavy cigarettes smokers.
Specialists mention that this is a serious problem because teenagers are experimenting and they might become addicted to nicotine which means that they might never quit smoking. Researchers also said that vaping is bad for teens and adults because it might make them want to smoke more cigarettes instead of helping them quit smoking.
Image source: Flickr
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