Official figures show that more pupils in England aged between 11 and 15 have tried electronic cigarettes than have tried smoking with 22% having vaped at least once.
But while the Health and Social Care Information data showed the lowest levels of smoking or drinking ever recorded, it found that that more than one in five had tried them when asked about using e-cigarettes the first time.
According to a BBC report, the figures, based on a survey of 6,173 pupils in 210 schools, showed only 3% had tried legal highs. They also showed there had been consistent falls in the number of children taking up smoking. In 2003, 42% of pupils had tried cigarettes at least once, but that figure now stands at 18% – the lowest since records began in 1982.
The pupil survey, which was conducted by the NatCen Social Research and the National Foundation for Educational Research, shows the popularity of e-cigarettes last year (2014).
Among smokers the figures showed that 89% had tried e-cigs with just 11% of those who had never smoked trying vaping.
Elizabeth Fuller, the research director at NatCen Social Research: “We see that young people are more likely to have tried an e-cigarette than a traditional cigarette.”
But Professor Kevin Fenton, the director of health and wellbeing at Public Health England, said while the continuing decline in under-18s smoking, drinking and drug use was encouraging, the new Children and Families Act will make it an offence to sell e-cigarettes to children,
“This will help address the number of young people trying e-cigarettes, while ensuring their continued use as a tool to help adult smokers to quit,” he told the BBC.
There has been debate over the safety and health impact of e-cigarettes since their introduction.
Earlier this year, US research showed that e-cigarettes contain some toxic chemicals and were not a safe alternative to smoking tobacco.
In experiments on mice, scientists found that e-cigarette vapour could harm the lungs and make them more susceptible to respiratory infections, the BBC reported.
The PLOS One study also found traces of ‘free radical’ toxins similar to those found in cigarette smoke.
A UK lung charity said more research on the health impact of vaping was needed.
While the smoking and e-cigarette debate lingers on, hypnotherapy has been proven to be a successful way to quit smoking.
The National Council for Hypnotherapy (NCH) has therapists around the UK on its directory and helping people stop the habit is one of their success stories.
Many people started smoking through peer pressure and the reason why hypnotherapy works so rapidly is that it works directly with the subconscious, bypassing the critical mind and getting to the root of the issue so that changes can be made.
Smokers who visit a hypnotherapist to stop smoking can find that their physical addiction to cigarettes can be over after just one week. Research shows that by quitting smoking with hypnosis you are three times more likely to give up than if you used nicotine patches.
The therapy will let the smoker imagine how your different their life would be without smoking and allow them to understand their motivation for giving up to allow them to stop.
The NCH website features a directory which lists all currently active NCH-registered hypnotherapists – an assurance of a well trained, ethical and insured hypnotherapist. To find a therapist near you, simply click here.