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About

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have become increasingly prevalent in Australia, particularly among young people. A 2021 survey from New South Wales found 32% of 14-17 year-olds had used e-cigarettes.¹

E-cigarettes, also known as vapes, are a diverse group of battery-powered products that generate a heated aerosol (e-liquid) - most of which contain nicotine - for users to inhale.¹ While many important long term health effects of e-cigarettes remain unknown, several health risks have been identified including: addiction; poisonings; seizures generally relating to nicotine toxicity; burns and injuries; lung injury and increased smoking uptake in non-smokers.³ Adolescents undergo rapid and extensive biological changes making them particularly vulnerable to the impacts of nicotine.⁴ Given these health risks, e-cigarette use in this population is a major public health concern.  

Previous tobacco control efforts have harnessed the process of denormalisation by reinforcing the idea that smoking is not normal in our society.⁵ It is unclear if these strategies are suitable for e-cigarettes. Before denormalisation can be considered, it is necessary to understand the process of e-cigarette normalisation.

My thesis aims to investigate the process of e-cigarette normalisation among Australia adolescents aged 14-17 years.

Bio

Amelia is a Research Assistant and PhD candidate at the National Centre of Epidemiology and Population Health, at the Australian National University. She has previously completed her Bachelor of Science and Master of Public Health (Advanced) at the ANU. Amelia has been working as a research assistant at NCEPH since 2019 and has been involved in a variety of research areas including cardiovascular microsimulations, alternate work schedules and worker’s health.  

Most recently, as part of Professor Emily Banks’ team, she has been researching electronic (e-) cigarettes investigating the health outcomes associated with their use, their influence on smoking uptake and their efficacy as a smoking cessation aid. 

Amelia’s research is part of Generation Vape, a nationwide project examining e-cigarettes among adolescents, young adults, parents and teachers, led by Cancer Council NSW in partnership with the Daffodil Centre and the University of Sydney.

References

¹Watts C, Egger S, Dessaix A, et al. Vaping product access and use among 14–17-year-olds in New South Wales: a cross-sectional study. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health. 2022;46(6):814-820

²National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine. Public health consequences of e-cigarettes. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2018. Report No.: 0309468345.

³Banks E, Yazidjoglou A, Brown S, et al. Electronic cigarettes and health outcomes: systematic review of global evidence. Canberra: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health; 2022.

⁴US Department of Health and Human Services. E-cigarette use among youth and young adults: A report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health; 2016.

⁵Bell, K., McCullough, L., Salmon, A. and Bell, J. ‘Every space is claimed’: smokers’ experiences of tobacco denormalisation. Sociology of Health & Illness. 2010: 32: 914-929.