New data from Generation Vape led by Cancer Council NSW that explores vaping among young people in Australia, revealed that children whose parents vape are a staggering 64% more likely to vape themselves, and if parents currently smoke, their child’s likelihood of smoking increases by 193%, which is three times the risk.
Associate Professor Becky Freeman, University of Sydney, Chief Investigator of the Generation Vape project said, “young people vaping in Australia is a significant public health issue and evidence shows that parental behaviours and attitudes can play a role in influencing the behaviours of their children”.
“In the past we have seen links between behaviours of parents and children who smoke cigarettes, but for the first time ever, we are able to also analyse the impact of vaping too” Freeman adds.
The data also revealed parent’s awareness of their child’s vaping and smoking behaviours. Parents of children who didn’t vape were considerably better at predicting the vaping-status of their child than parents of those who did vape.
Parents of teenagers who had never vaped were 97% correct at predicting the vaping-status of their children, compared to parents of teenagers who had tried vaping, were just 70% correct with their prediction.
Parental smoking and vaping behaviours are associated with those of their children. It is essential that both tobacco and vaping control policies and interventions are designed to reach all demographics.
Alecia Brooks, Cancer Council’s Tobacco Issues Committee Chair said, “we want to ensure that federal and state campaigns address smoking and vaping as linked behaviours, targeting both young people and their parents as well as other key influencers. Such campaigns must be supported by comprehensive policy measures taking a whole of population tobacco control approach.
“Parents are role models and play a key role in shaping their children’s behaviour, but responsibility is not solely theirs. Parents and young people must be supported by strong tobacco and vaping control policies that reduce supply and demand of these inherently harmful products
“We applaud the recent Federal Government announcements to implement the vaping reforms starting from January 1, 2024, to reduce the burden on parents and prevent a new generation becoming addicted to nicotine” Ms Brooks concludes.
