9.14. Why has the decline in smoking among Irish teenagers stopped?

As reported previously1, in Ireland, teen smoking decreased from 41% in 1995 to 13.1% in 2015. But, in 2019, current smoking increased overall to 14.4% from 13.1% in 2015, with the prevalence in 2019 being greater in boys than girls (16.2%) vs (12.8%). This is a serious threat to Ireland’s tobacco endgame.We used data from 1,493 (2015 wave) and 1,949 students (2019 wave) of ESPAD Ireland (European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs) to analyse the use of tobacco products by teenagers and offer an explanation for the increase. Adjusted incidence risk ratios (IRR) for current smoking were estimated using a Poisson regression analysis.The increase in current cigarette smoking in 16-year-olds in Ireland between 2015 and 2019 was associated with an increasing use of e-cigarettes as well as with having peers who smoke. Lack of parental regulation increased the odds of smoking. Our findings highlight the negative impact that increased youth e-cigarette use has had on current teenage cigarette smoking. We recommend extending tobacco control legislation regarding minors to include e-cigarettes. This may be desirable to prevent exposure to secondhand aerosol (SHA) but also because of the possible renormalisation of smoking. [See related table].

15. Factors associated with e-cigarette use in young adults

The increase in e-cigarette ever and current use among young people represents a growing concern for tobacco control efforts in Ireland. Identifying factors associated with increasing prevalence offers the opportunity to develop appropriate preventative interventions.Using cross-sectional data from 5,190 20-year-olds in the Growing up in Ireland (GUI) survey (Wave 4, 2019), we performed stepwise logistic regression analyses to examine e-cigarette prevalence and factors associated with e-cigarette use in this age group. The prevalence of e-cigarette ever-use was 47.8% and current use was 13.4%. E-cigarette ever and current users were significantly more likely to be male (AOR 1.63 vs 1.71 for females), ever-smokers (AOR:2.99 vs AOR:5.25), current smokers (AOR:1.68 vs AOR:3.22), and ever cannabis users (AOR:2.28 vs AOR:1.97). E-cigarette ever-users were more likely to ever-use alcohol (AOR:3.65) and non-prescribed drugs (AOR:1.44). E-cigarette ever and current use was inversely associated with high leaving certificate points (ever-use: AOR 0.30; current use: 0.49) and being in two-parent families (current use AOR: 0.61).Ever and current e-cigarette use was high among 20-year-olds in this study. Our findings suggest that poly-drug use needs to be addressed simultaneously with e-cigarette prevention strategies to be successful. [See related table].

Full book of abstract reference: Irish Journal of Medical Science (2022) 191(Suppl 5):S129-S185
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11845-022-03209-1