A new stop-vaping clinic for teenagers has been established by the NHS in an effort to reduce the growing number of young people who use e-cigarettes. Alder Hey children’s hospital in Liverpool has dealt with the first young patients participating in its new vaping cessation service since its inception in January. This locally budgeted clinic, the first of its kind in England, is focused on assisting nicotine-dependent 11- to 15-year-olds in stopping vaping.
Vaping, especially among young individuals, has dramatically risen in the last few years. However, according to data, it appears that the trend may be on the decline. Last year’s statistics revealed that the percentage of young people aged 11 to 18 years who vape dropped to 18%, lower than 20% in 2023, but still higher than the figure of 13% recorded in 2019. Children who indicated that they continue to vape currently were 7.2 percent.
The Alder Hey clinic will focus on helping the 11- to 15-year-old age group quit smoking and vaping, as they vape less than older teens but are still rapidly increasing over the past year, according to a survey by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH). Prof Rachel Isba, a consultant in pediatric public health at Alder Hey, stated that “with the alarming rise in the number of children and young people turning to vaping and the significant uncertainty regarding the long-term impacts and potential harms of this trend, our clinic aims to provide crucial support for individuals affected by vaping, helping them become nicotine-free.”
The lack of current information regarding the impact to young people of using vapors would necessitate various treatment approaches, with concerns raised in consultations regarding the presence of nicotine dependence and the notion that there might be cases of young people who are addicted to vaping but not to nicotine. Treatment will be customized to the specific individual, which may include nicotine substitution or therapy-based measures aimed at decreasing vaping teenagers’ amount. The Alder Hey NHS trust has emphasized that the treatments will support peer pressure and conduct.
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