As a respiratory therapist, I am extremely intrigued and fascinated with the idea of vaping as a health promotion topic. Vaping has quickly integrated into society and has become a social norm amongst a vast majority of people. The Government of Canada (2024) found in 2022 that 6% of Canadians aged 15 and older had reported vaping in the past 30 days. Additionally, the Government of Canada (2024) reports that 17% of students in grades 7-12 reported using a vaping product within the last 30 days. Furthermore, it was found that 16% of students have used an e-cigarette with nicotine and 4% had used an e-cigarette without nicotine in the past 30 days (Government of Canada, 2024). Similarly, studies from the United States estimate that 20% of American high school students are regular vape users, in contrast to the 5% of adults who use vape products (Jonas, 2022). Teen and young adult uptake in vaping has been driven in part by a perception of vaping as a safer alternative to cigarettes, as well as marketing strategies that target adolescents (Jonas, 2022).
Personally, I know many friends, acquaintances, colleagues, family members that vape. Unfortunately, my own younger brother vapes as well. Working as a respiratory therapist, I have firsthand seen what the effects of smoking and vaping can have on an individual's health. I have seen drastic declines in lung health ranging from the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, immunocompromise requiring intubation and overall decline in health through the development of co-morbidities. As a result, this topic makes me extremely nervous as it effects individuals with whom I have close relationships with. Like many of us, witnessing individuals we care about becoming ill and suffering is extremely difficult. As a result, this motivates me to encourage loved ones and people I care about the importance of having a healthy lifestyle.
I am excited to immerse myself in this topic and learn as much as I can. I want to be as up to date as possible surrounding the current literature around vaping. I have many personal learning goals surrounding this topic. Firstly, I would like to know why people vape, especially younger individuals. The Government of Canada (2024) found that the main reason for vaping in among 15-24 years was to reduce stress while the main reason for vaping in individuals 25 and older was to reduce, quit or avoid returning to smoking. However, when I ask my brother this question, I receive an unclear and vague response of I just like too. Secondly, I would like to learn more about the current literature on the extent of lung damage due to vaping. Personally, many individuals I know are under the false belief that vaping is not like smoking cigarettes and as a result you are not damaging your lungs. The EVALI study found an increase in vaping related lung injury however, no statistically significant link was found between lung injury and vaping as the pool of data was to small (Jonas, 2022). Furthermore, I would personally like to learn about different techniques, frameworks, and strategies that could be implemented and utilized to create change in vaping habits. This personally excites me as I have a lot of friends and family members that participate in vaping. I hope to use the knowledge I gain to create change in the vaping habits of individuals I interact with. Currently, literature and research on vaping is still very limited. There has been great head way into the topic but much about vaping remains unknown, more research is still required. As a result, and looking ahead in the future, this may present as an obstacle and challenge that I may have to navigate as I pursue this health promotion topic.
References:
Government of Canada. (2024). Vaping in Canada: What we know. Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/smoking-tobacco/surveys-statistics-research/vaping-what-we-know.html
Jonas, A. (2022). Impact of vaping on respiratory health. bmj, 378.
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