Africa-Press – South-Africa. A preliminary report conducted by the University of Cape Town (UCT) indicated that more than 25% of matric pupils were vaping due to stress and anxiety.
A pulmonologist at Groote Schuur Hospital and UCT, Professor Richard van Zyl-Smit, said the data from the pilot study, surveying matric high school pupils in 2022, documented that vaping had potentially increased from around 2% six years ago, to over 25% this year, based on previously published data.
The South African Demographic and Health Survey – which, according to Van Zyl-Smit, is currently the only data available on vaping – found that up to 2.9% of 15- to 19-year-olds vaped in 2016.
It’s not only matrics who are vaping, but pupils across all school grades, Van Zyl-Smit said.
Many adults are vaping too, while some have given up cigarettes to indulge in the vaping frenzy.
Van Zyl-Smit said it was not yet known why young people had specifically taken a liking to vaping, but he suggested it could be a “popular fashionable trend”.
He said:
According to Van Zyl-Smit, reports from the schools indicated that pupils were even vaping in classrooms and bathrooms.
“You can buy (vaping products) online and in most malls and shopping centres without any trouble. We have to regulate the sale and marketing of vaping products – everything (marketing) currently says it is healthy and available to anyone.
“We need to stop advertising to minors and ban sales to under-18s. This is a start; it will not solve the problem, but will help,” Van Zyl-Smit said.
Richard Bramley said vaping calmed him down after “hectic studying and pressure of exams”.
Bramley said:
Nicola Nolan said the different smells of vaping resulted in her trying it.
“I used to smell this lekker vaping smells when I would leave the malls with my mom. I would stand and watch the adults inhaling from a small machine that can literally fit into your pocket. So, I saved up for it and now I love it,” she said.
Thobile Masankwe said he thought it was better than smoking cigarettes and the different liquid flavours were enjoyable.
“The fact that one can blow the smoke inside a building is probably one of the reasons why I like it. People are not really pedantic about me blowing the smoke inside the building because I think they also like the smell it gives off. I don’t see anything wrong with vaping though,” Masankwe said.
However, Van Zyl-Smit said the fact that pupils vape was a problem, as it could easily become addictive.
Van Zyl-Smit said:
Van Zyl-Smit said the data currently in circulation was pilot data of a much “bigger study” when it came to vaping among high school pupils.
“We (UCT) have only looked at high-income schools so far, as we needed to start somewhere; but we have data from nine separate schools across the country (Gauteng, KZN and Western Cape). This is a national issue.
“We do, however, need to look at many more schools and see how deep the problem runs across socioeconomic and urban/rural grounds.”
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