E-cigarette Use in the UK Rising
E-cigarette use in the United Kingdom is rising, according to a study conducted by researchers from the School of Public Health at Imperial. The study, published in Tobacco Control, finds that the number of people who have tried an e-cigarettes increased from 8.9 percent to 15.5 percent over a two year period from 2012 to 2014. The number of people who considered these products dangerous also increased from 27 percent to 51 percent.
The researchers looked at data collected from two Special Eurobarometer for Tobacco surveys, which included over 53,000 participants across Europe. There were at least 1,000 participants from each country. Those who tried the e-cigarettes were most likely to be a former or current smoker between the ages of 18-24 and highly educated. The country with the highest use of e-cigarettes was France. In France, one in five people had tried the product. The country with the lowest use of e-cigarettes was found to be Portugal, with only 5.7 of its resident trying the product.
The researchers state that more data and research is needed on these products and their long-term use and effects.