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Standardizing the colour and branding of disposable vaping gadgets could deter younger individuals who have by no means smoked or vaped from attempting them within the first place, suggests a comparative examine, printed on-line within the journal Tobacco Management.
However a possible trade-off is that there’s a threat it might result in fewer individuals switching from smoking to vaping, say the researchers.
Vaping has surged in reputation amongst younger individuals in lots of international locations over the previous decade in tandem with the introduction of low-cost disposable gadgets, level out the researchers.
Beforehand printed analysis means that colourful branded packaging can enhance the enchantment of cigarettes and vapes to younger individuals. However there isn’t any present proof on whether or not standardizing the looks of disposable vape gadgets themselves would have an effect on their enchantment and perceptions of hurt, they add.
To search out out, the researchers drew on 15,259 respondents to the 2023 on-line Worldwide Tobacco Management Youth and Youth Grownup Tobacco & Vaping Survey. All of the respondents had been aged between 16 and 29 and residing in England, Canada, or the US.
They had been randomly assigned to view pictures of both 4 branded disposable vapes (7,638 individuals) or 4 standardized white disposable vapes (7,621) and requested which vape merchandise they’d be thinking about attempting, and the way dangerous they thought they had been.
Evaluation of the responses confirmed that standardization elevated the share of these reporting no real interest in attempting at the least one of many vapes displayed. Simply over 67% of these within the standardized group stated they weren’t thinking about attempting any of the gadgets proven, in contrast with slightly below 63% of these within the branded group.
The smallest impact of standardization was noticed amongst those that had by no means vaped or smoked: 93% of these within the standardized group reported no curiosity in contrast with simply over 91% of these within the branded group.
The best influence was noticed amongst those that had smoked, however not vaped, throughout the previous month—47.5% within the standardized group vs. 37.5% within the branded group—and these are individuals who would stand to realize from switching totally from smoking to vaping, say the researchers.
Amongst those that had vaped, however not smoked, 20% of these proven standardized packaging reported no real interest in attempting them in contrast with 16.5% proven branded gadgets.
Comparable results had been noticed amongst individuals who each smoked and vaped (13.5% vs. 9.5%) and amongst those that previously smoked or vaped (simply over 72.5% vs. 65%).
The results of standardization on individuals’ hurt perceptions of the vaping product displayed had been minimal, nonetheless.
Simply over 31% of these within the standardized group seen the vape product as much less dangerous than smoking in contrast with slightly below 33% within the branded group. There was no clear distinction in how standardization affected hurt perceptions throughout smoking and vaping teams.
Product and packaging laws have been utilized by a number of international locations to cut back the enchantment of cigarettes. And in January 2024, the UK authorities introduced plans to introduce new measures to make sure that vape producers implement standardized packaging for his or her merchandise, however it’s not clear what this could seem like, say the researchers.
“Our findings recommend that the mixing of laws on gadget design into new coverage additional reduces the enchantment of vapes to younger individuals. Nonetheless, in contrast with individuals who have by no means smoked or vaped, the discount in curiosity was extra pronounced amongst people who smoke, who may profit from utilizing vapes to stop smoking.
“There is a risk that the public health benefits of preventing youth uptake of vaping could be offset by a decline in the number of young people transitioning from smoking to exclusive vaping, or an increase in relapse from exclusive vaping to smoking, including dual use,” they add.
They conclude, “For international locations thinking about discouraging vaping amongst younger individuals, standardizing the colour of vaping gadgets might be thought-about alongside standardized packaging as a possible coverage choice.
“However, there may be unintended consequences in terms of discouraging those who smoke from switching to vaping, which should be further investigated and possibly balanced with other targeted policies to encourage smoking cessation.”
Extra data:
Affect of standardising the color and branding of vape gadgets on product enchantment amongst younger individuals: a randomised experiment in England, Canada and the USA, Tobacco Management (2025). DOI: 10.1136/tc-2024-059210
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British Medical Journal
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Standardizing disposable vape gadgets could curb younger individuals’s need to strive them (2025, Could 20)
retrieved 20 Could 2025
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