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- Page navigation anchor for RE:Clinicians’ advocacy work to prevent adolescents’ e cigarette use (vaping) is urgently neededRE:Clinicians’ advocacy work to prevent adolescents’ e cigarette use (vaping) is urgently needed
Most smokers start in their adolescence, an age of increased nicotine addiction risk. Since virtually all cigarette smoking begins before the age of 18 (1), the effects of tobacco use on children is clearly of utmost importance. (2)
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We applaud the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) for their clear stance against e-cigarette use by adolescents. (3) Despite these warnings, e-cigarettes have been treated as “A cool and a classy thing, less harmful with no nicotine by-product or as a smoking cessation tool” by many adolescents, as is often portrayed in social media. (3) In general, adolescent are confused and puzzled over the contradictory information on the health benefits and potential harm of using e-cigarettes. There are many reports including the most recent the UK's House of Commons Science and Technology Committee report on e-cigarettes, promotes e -cigarette as a healthy alternative to combustible cigarette. (4) Further, this report (4) has explicitly stated that there is growing evidence to support e-cigarettes and their effectiveness and safety for smoking cessation and harm reduction tool.(4) Accordingly, adolescents are more likely to believe that the e-cigarettes are less harmful than combustible cigarettes. (5, 6, 7) Not only adolescents are confused; many clinicians feel that they lack sufficient knowledge about the e-cigarette and express interest in learning more. (8, 9, 10)
There is no doubt that comprehensive prevention pr...Competing Interests: None declared.