Media release
From: New Zealand Medical Association (NZMA)This research assessed the patterns of cigarette smoking and electronic cigarette use (vaping) among university students in New Zealand at two time points: first (or T1, March 2018) when it was illegal to sell nicotine-containing e-cigarettes in New Zealand, and second (or T2, March 2019) twelve months after nicotine-containing e-cigarettes could legally be sold in New Zealand. The study found: similar patterns of smoking at T1 and T2; significantly higher prevalence of vaping at T2 compared with T1; significantly lower prevalence of non-use in smoke-free spaces at T2 compared with T1, and significantly fewer students perceiving e-cigarettes as less harmful than tobacco cigarettes at T2 compared with T1. These results suggest that university students may be vaping for other reasons other than to quit smoking.