32% of young people in Belgium (aged 15 to 20) have used an electronic cigarette in the past year, according to the results of a survey published by the Foundation Against Cancer on Wednesday.
The national organisation is calling on Federal Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke to drastically curb the number of permitted flavours and thus dissuade young people from using them.
The Foundation's online survey included 1,962 people, 682 of whom were aged 15 to 20, and was commissioned by independent research firm Indiville. It showed that 38% of this age group had vaped at some point in the past, with 32% having done so in the past year and 16% currently still vaping .
Young people use e-cigarettes differently to older generations. While those over 20 years old tend to use e-cigarettes as a means to quit smoking, for those aged 15 to 20 it is an activity in itself. For over 6 in 10 of those youngsters, parents are unaware of their use.
E-cigarette flavours play a huge role in their appeal, even more so than nicotine: 37% of those who vape do so due to the tasty flavours on offer, while 15% enjoy discovering new flavours each time.
Foundation Against Cancer is urging Vandenbroucke to start drastically reducing the number of authorised flavours and to implement a display ban of tobacco products in outlets as soon as possible.
