Smoking and vaping on the rise in England, study finds

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

One in 20 adults in England both smoke and vape, according to a new study. New research shows that so-called “dual use” of both vaping and smoking is on the up, rising from 3.5 per cent of adults in 2016 to 5.2pc in 2024.

Investigating the “transitional state” that often occurs when smokers are quitting, researchers found that dual use may result in people smoking less and vaping more.

The popularity of disposable vapes rocketed nearly four years ago, causing a spike in smokers who also vape from around 19pc before 2021 to 34pc in April last year.

The greatest rise was in young adults, with almost three in five (59pc) of young smokers also vaping – a leap from 19.6pc at the start of the study. “In England, vaping prevalence has increased rapidly among adults who smoke since 2021, which was when disposable e-cigarettes started to become popular,” the authors wrote in the journal Addiction. “Since 2016, patterns of dual use have shifted away from more frequent smoking towards more frequent vaping. “This may be the result of increasing prevalence of dual use among younger adults, who are more likely than older dual users to smoke non-daily and vape daily.” In November last year, the UK government announced plans to tackle the negative health effects of smoking, one of the leading causes of preventable death, disability and ill health in the country.