Understanding Youth Vaping and Breathing Issues
We all know smoking can damage your lungs. But could vaping harm your breathing too? To find out, researchers surveyed over 39,000 young people aged 16–19 across the US, Canada, and England in 2020–2021.
The Study in a Nutshell
- Most respondents had never vaped (64%) or smoked (70%).
- 28% reported breathing issues like coughing, breathlessness, chest pain, phlegm, or wheezing in the past week.
- Young people who only vaped were more likely to have breathing issues than those who had never smoked or vaped.
- Vaping was tied to similar odds of breathing issues as smoking.
- Those who both smoked and vaped had the highest risk of symptoms.
“The more frequently participants vaped, the higher their likelihood of breathing issues,” the researchers found.
How Vaping Frequency Affects Lungs
One important finding is that frequency makes a big difference:
- Young people who vaped more than 20 days a month were twice as likely as never-users to report symptoms.
- Every extra day of vaping in the past 30 days slightly increased the odds of breathing issues.
This dose-response trend shines a light on a simple truth—inhaling more vape means more potential risk. Source: NIHR more WRD News)
