Vaping is a gateway to smoking for non-smokers, research shows

Led by University of Otago postgraduate student Andre Mason and Associate Professor Damian Scarf, of the University of Otago’s Department of Psychology, the collaborative research, published in the Drug and Alcohol Review, analysed data related to the smoking and vaping status of New Zealanders from the 2018-2020 New Zealand Attitudes and Values survey.

Damian says that broadly, the prevalence of smoking was found to be decreasing over time, while the prevalence of vaping was increasing. No differences were observed in the likelihood of transition from smoking to vaping or vice versa, indicating that either pathway was equally as likely.

Survey results were analysed from the three years starting in 2018. The prevalence of those in the survey who smoked decreased at each time point (7.4, 6.2 and 5.2 per cent), while the prevalence of those who vaped increased (2.8, 2.9 and 3.4 per cent).