A new study by researchers at London South bank University has looked into vaping health warnings on e-cigarette packaging. The Study aims to uncover whether the messaging is too severe and if it is deterring smokers from trying vaping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The compulsory warnings on vape packaging have previously been\ncriticised for being unnecessarily brash. E-cigarettes are designed as a safer\nalternative to smoking however the current messaging arguably makes them seem\njust as harmful. This is supposedly to deter non-smokers from taking up vaping,\nhowever this research shows that it may also be deterring smokers from trying\ne-cigarettes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Importantly, the study found that a new packaging message\nwould not encourage smokers to take up vaping without<\/strong> making them more\nattractive to non-smokers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The research was conducted between December 2018 and January\n2019 and included 2495 UK participants. The participants were asked to rate how\nthey felt about e-cigarettes before and after viewing two different warnings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One message stated \u201cThis product contains nicotine which\nis a highly addictive substance. It is not recommended for non-smokers\u201d<\/strong>. After\nreading this health warning the respondents believed e-cigarettes to be more\nharmful than they had previously believed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The second message read \u201cuse of this product is much less\nharmful than smoking\u201d. <\/strong>This message minimised the perception of harm only\nin that of smokers. It also increased smokers\u2019 likelihood of purchasing an\ne-cigarette, according to the study. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The authors of the study wrote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBecause current (EU) messages focus on the absolute risks of nicotine use, they may actually deter use in smokers and undermine the potential of e-cigarettes to assist a change in smoking behaviour.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhilst reducing appeal amongst non-smokers is clearly desirable, effective health messaging should communicate risks without discouraging smokers.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n E-cigarettes are now the UK\u2019s most popular quitting aid. A study,\nearlier this year showed that they help between 50,000 and 70,000 smokers quit\nevery year. However, with over 7 million people still smoking in the UK, a lot\nmore can be done to help vaping reach it\u2019s full potential. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Whilst regulation is important for the industry, it must be\nsensible and balanced. Policy makers may be more inclined to air on the side of\ncaution but by doing so they could unwittingly be stifling a huge public health\nopportunity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Professor Lynne Dawkins, lead researcher, said: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUltimately, if more smokers switch to e-cigarettes, there will be fewer smoking-related deaths and diseases.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The current requirements for vaping health warnings came under fire at the time they were introduced, back in 2016. The TPD insists that \u2018all electronic cigarettes must have a warning, covering 30% of each of the two largest surfaces of the pack\u2019. The warning must read \u201cThis product contains nicotine which is a highly addictive substance\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The particularly bemusing aspect of this regulation is that\nthis message must be added to electronic cigarettes even if in the form they\nare abought, do not in fact contain nicotine. Amid the new study, the researchers\nhave urged the government to re-evaluate the health warnings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Totally Wicked welcomes this piece of research form London\nSouth bank University. As more and more evidence builds up to back e-cigarettes\nas an effective cessation aid, sensible regulation is imperative to help vaping\nflourish. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Smoking rates in the UK are at their lowest since records\nbegan, but the final 14.4% of the population are recognised as being stubborn,\nhardened smokers. More pro-active policies can help give these smokers the\nsupport and resource they need so we hope regulatory officials take all\nreliable vaping research on board.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A new study by researchers at London South bank University has looked into vaping health warnings on e-cigarette packaging. The Study aims to uncover whether the messaging is too severe and if it is deterring smokers from trying vaping. The compulsory warnings on vape packaging have previously been criticised for being unnecessarily brash. E-cigarettes are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":13785,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-13784","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nVaping health warnings research<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Criticism of current warnings requirements<\/h3>\n\n\n\n