A recent study of American teenagers . Even as many steer clear of other substance-related activities such as binge drinking and drug use, the number of teens who are vaping has more than doubled since 2017.
鈥淭he data shows that one in five middle schoolers are using these products and one in three high school [students] are using these products, so those are incredibly concerning numbers,鈥� Dr. Patricia Cavazos-Rehg said during Tuesday鈥檚 St. Louis on the Air.
Cavazos-Rehg, who is an associate professor in the Washington University School of Medicine鈥檚 Department of Psychiatry, told host Don Marsh there鈥檚 a need for more education about vaping 鈥� and its risks 鈥� among both teens and their caregivers.
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e finding is that perhaps vaping is healthier than regular cigarettes, but it鈥檚 by no means healthy 鈥� it is not a healthy behavior,鈥� she said. 鈥淢ost vapes 鈥� or e-cigarettes 鈥� contain nicotine, [which] is highly addictive.鈥�
Not only are teens finding ways to access Juul vaping devices and other popular items, 鈥渢hey鈥檙e not having conversations with important people that could potentially tell them how hazardous these products actually are,鈥� Cavazos-Rehg said.
And in addition to potentially impacting brain development and increasing risks associated with addiction, other hazards remain unknown at this point.
鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of a mystery what the long-term health effects are, and that is concerning, because we could certainly find out that lungs are impacted negatively by the use of these products,鈥� Cavazos-Rehg added.
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