SYDNEY, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- More than 12 percent of Australian adolescents surveyed had used e-cigarettes in their lifetime, while almost 6 percent had used tobacco and 3.5 percent had used nicotine pouches, new research finds.
The study, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, surveyed 1,848 students aged 14-18 across the Australian states of New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia, and revealed that Australian high school students have put their health at risk using a range of different nicotine products, a statement from the journal said on Wednesday.
More than 2 percent of respondents had used all three products. Among adolescents who had used nicotine pouches, a newly emerging nicotine product of concern, 82 percent had also vaped and 71 percent had smoked cigarettes, the survey showed.
Males reported higher use of nicotine pouches and cigarettes than females, it said, adding that nicotine pouch use was reported by 4.8 percent of males, compared with 1.5 percent of females, while tobacco cigarette use was reported by 6.9 percent of males and 4.1 percent of females.
The study shows the need for targeted strategies to prevent teenage nicotine addiction and to support young people to quit, said lead author Lauren Gardner, a senior research fellow at the University of Sydney.
"Many teens who have used one nicotine product have also tried others," Gardner said, adding the findings showed the need for prevention strategies addressing "shared risk factors for nicotine use more broadly, rather than focusing on just vaping or smoking."
Public health experts said the findings highlight the need for governments to protect young people from nicotine products, crack down on illegal sales and fund evidence-based prevention campaigns. ■