Rapid growth in disposable e-cigarette vaping among young adults in Great Britain from 2021 to 2022: a repeat cross-sectional survey

Abstract

Aims: To estimate recent trends in the prevalence of disposable e-cigarette vaping in Great Britain, overall and across ages, and to measure these trends in the context of changes in smoking and vaping prevalence.

Design: The Smoking Toolkit Study, a monthly representative cross-sectional survey.

Setting: Great Britain.

Participants: A total of 36 876 adults (≥ 18 years) completed telephone interviews between January 2021 and April 2022.

Measurements: Current e-cigarette vapers were asked which type of device they mainly use. We estimated age-specific monthly time trends in the prevalence of current disposable e-cigarette use among vapers and inhaled nicotine use (vaping/smoking), smoking and vaping among adults.

Findings: From January 2021 to April 2022, there was an 18-fold increase in the percentage of vapers who used disposables, rising from 1.2 to 22.2% [prevalence ratio (PR) = 18.0; 95% compatibility interval (CI) = 9.18-49.0]. Growth in disposable e-cigarette vaping was most pronounced in younger adults (interaction P-value = 0.013): for example, the percentage of 18-year-old vapers using disposables rose from 0.4 to 54.8% (PR = 129; 95% CI = 28.5-4520), while it rose from 2.1 to 10.0% (PR = 4.73; 95% CI = 2.06-23.6) among 45-year-old vapers. However, the overall percentage of people currently using any inhaled nicotine remained stable over time both among all adults (20.0 versus 21.2%; PR = 1.06; 95% CI = 0.92-1.22) and among 18-year-olds (30.2 versus 29.7%; PR = 0.99; 95% CI = 0.80-1.22). In 18-year-olds, vaping prevalence grew (11.3 versus 17.7%; PR = 1.57; 95% CI = 1.12-2.29), and there was imprecise evidence for a decline in smoking (24.5 versus 19.5%; PR = 0.80; 95% CI = 0.63-1.04). In 45-year-olds, there was relatively little change in vaping (PR = 1.08; 95% CI = 0.88-1.33) or smoking prevalence (PR = 1.01; 95% CI = 0.88-1.16).

Conclusions: Use of disposable e-cigarettes in Great Britain grew rapidly between 2021 and 2022, especially among younger adults, but the overall prevalence of inhaled nicotine use was stable over time. Most young adult vapers in Great Britain now use disposable products.

Keywords: Disposable e-cigarettes; ENDS; Elf Bar; England; Puff Bar; Scotland; Wales; electronic nicotine delivery systems; vaping; young adults.