2024 NS Youth & Young Adult Vaping Survey

Background

In response to the growing concerns surrounding the vaping epidemic, the 2019 Youth & Young Adult Vaping Survey (Al-Hamdani et al., 2021) was launched in 2019 by Smoke-Free Nova Scoti in attempt to better understand vaping among regular youth and young adult e-cigarette users in Nova Scotia. The findings from this study prompted the introduction of several vaping related policies to be introduced in Nova Scotia, with many being adopted in other provinces and federally.                                                                                Five years have passed since this initial survey and policy changes were introduced the survey examined whether the policies have had an impact on vaping among young people in Nova Scotia. Additionally, since the initial survey the vaping landscape has significantly shifted, and this survey provides the opportunity to gain insight into vaping aspects not captured in the previous study.  The purpose of the study was:                                                                                 1) Examine the vaping behaviours, experiences, product preferences, and exposure to online vaping content among youth and young adult vapers ages 16-24 who currently or previously vaped in Nova Scotia.                                                                                                    2) Examine how the observed trends compare to the results of the 2019 Youth & Young Adult Vaping Project.