Vaping behaviour of high-risk and typically developing adolescents: results from the Gauging Risk and Resilience in...

To describe the extent and nature of vaping behaviour in a high-risk group of adolescents compared to a regionally representative comparison group of same-age peers at 17.5 years (range 16-19). Vaping rates were examined by sex, age, socio-economic status (SES) and ethnicity.

Participants were 53 high-risk adolescents with prenatal substance exposure and family psychosocial adversity and 83 adolescents randomly recruited at birth. At mean age 17.5 years, participants were interviewed about current and lifetime vaping.

Overall, two-thirds of adolescents reported having ever vaped, and 43% reported vaping regularly (>monthly). Adolescents in the high-risk group were more likely to report both ever (87% vs 55%; p<.001) and regular vaping (64% vs 30%; p<.001). Regular vaping was associated with lower family SES, although this effect was not significant after accounting for high-risk group status. Māori youth were significantly over-represented among regular vapers compared to non-vapers, but this association was largely explained by family SES.

Vaping rates among Canterbury youth are high, with findings suggesting elevated rates for already higher-risk health-vulnerable adolescents. Offering accessible support for existing users and stronger regulations to limit vape product accessibility will be critical to minimise population harm and reduce longer-term health impacts.