UK: Flavoring To Increase Kids'' Interest in E-Cigarettes

Source from:  PerfScience 01/20/2016

Children's interest in trying an e-cigarette is likely to be boosted by advertisements that show e-cigarettes with various flavors. The study revealed that the advertisements only increase the kids' urge for vaping and not smoking tobacco or regular use of electronic cigarettes.

E-cigarettes are devices that operate on battery and heat nicotine and flavors together to produce a vapor, which the consumer inhales. E-cigarettes are available in several flavors, including the ones that are likely to attract children. "We know that flavors appeal to kids, and that is what the e-cigarette industry is banking on. Kids like sweet flavors. That is why there are sugar-sweetened cereals. These flavors have always appealed to a kid's palate", said Erika Sward, Assistant Vice President of National Advocacy for the American Lung Association.

According to Milica Vasiljevic, the lead author and a research associate at the Cambridge Behavior and Health Research Unit in England, during the last year, the use of e-cigarette in the USA and England has tripled and doubled respectively. According to the American Cancer Society Tobacco Control Center's Director Cliff Douglas, the ads are precisely aimed at children. Around seven out of ten students in middle and high school have watched e-cigarette ads. Sward stated that the fear of kids getting attracted towards flavors and trying e-cigarettes entails. A study was conducted to assess this possibility.

Approximately 600 children of 11 to 16 years were considered by the University of Cambridge researchers who divided them into three groups. One was shown candy-flavored e-cigarette advertisements, second was shown non-flavored e-cigarette ads, while the last group was shown no ads. The group with kids that saw candy-flavored e-cigarette ads was more interested in purchasing and trying e-cigarettes as compared to the other two groups. But, in general the urge to smoke tobacco or regularly using e-cigarette was mostly same across all groups. Enditem