A NEW campaign has been launched to target vaping rates, aimed at reminding young people that ‘every vape is a hit to your health’.

The campaign, launched by the NSW Government and developed by Cancer Institute NSW, features people aged fourteen to 24 who have experienced the harms of vaping.

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The campaign also encourages young people to consider the proven health harms of vaping, such as nicotine addiction, lung damage, breathlessness, nicotine poisoning and burns from exploding vapes.

It comes as the latest NSW Population Health Survey shows current vaping among people aged sixteen to 24 has significantly increased to 16.5 percent in 2021-22, up from 4.5 percent two years prior.

Professor Tracey O’Brien, Chief Cancer Officer and CEO of Cancer Institute NSW expressed concern that a new generation of people will become addicted to smoking if vaping use continues to increase.

“Vapes can be highly addictive, with many vapes containing even higher levels of nicotine than cigarettes,” she said.

“Even vapes labelled as nicotine-free often contain this highly addictive substance.

“Not only are vapes full of harmful chemicals that have been known to cause cancer, there is also growing evidence that non-smokers who vape are more likely to take up smoking, which can significantly increase their cancer risk.”

Minister for Health Ryan Park spoke of the challenges in changing young people’s smoking and vaping habits.

“It took us over three quarters of a century to reduce smoking among men from around 72 percent to fourteen percent,” he said.

“We have an opportunity to stem the tide of another emerging public health crisis that could have a lasting impact for generations of young people to come.

“This is very important because we know regular nicotine consumption can cause changes to a young person’s brain development, learning and memory, and may worsen stress, depression and anxiety.”

The new youth-targeted campaign comes after the NSW Government convened a roundtable last year to address the growing issue of vaping in schools.

Since then the NSW Department of Education is continuing to update curriculum resources so they better address the dangers of vaping.

An online training module for school staff is also being created to have conversations with students, and webinar resources will soon be available for parents and carers.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said, “Vaping is a serious issue and it is having a significant impact on students and young people.

“It is important that as we work together to tackle the scourge of vaping, we lead with an evidenced-based approach, and bring the experiences of young people to the forefront.”

For more information on the ‘Every vape is a hit to your health’ campaign, developed by Cancer Institute NSW, visit http://www.cancer.nsw.gov.au/vaping