Who would be affected by a ban on disposable vapes? A population study in Great Britain

Abstract

AbstractObjectivesThe UK government is consulting on banning disposable e-cigarettes. This study aimed to describe trends in disposable e-cigarette use among adults in Great Britain since 2021 and establish who would currently be affected by a ban on disposables.Study designNationally-representative monthly cross-sectional survey.MethodsWe analysed data from 69,973 adults surveyed between January-2021 and August-2023. We estimated monthly time trends in the weighted prevalence of current disposable e-cigarette use among adults and by sociodemographic characteristics and smoking status.ResultsFrom January-2021 to August-2023, the prevalence of disposable e-cigarette use grew from 0.1% to 4.9%. This rise was observed across all population subgroups but was most pronounced among younger adults (e.g., reaching 15.9% of 18-year-olds compared with 1.3% of 65-year-olds), those who currently smoke (16.3%), and those who stopped smoking in the past year (18.2%). Use among never smokers remained relatively rare (1.5%), except among 18-24-year-olds (7.1%). Use was significantly higher in England than Wales or Scotland (5.3% vs. 2.0% and 2.8%) and among less (vs. more) advantaged social grades (6.1% vs. 4.0%), those with (vs. without) children (6.4% vs. 4.4%), and those with (vs. without) a history of mental health conditions (9.3% vs. 3.1%).ConclusionsA ban on disposable e-cigarettes would currently affect one in 20 adults in Great Britain (approximately 2.6 million people). The impact would be greatest on young people, including the 316,000 18-24 year-olds who currently use disposables but who have never regularly smoked tobacco, which may discourage uptake of vaping in this group. However, a ban would also affect 1.1 million people who currently smoke and a further 744,000 who previously smoked. It would also have a disproportionate impact on disadvantaged groups that have higher rates of smoking and typically find it harder to quit.