In the first of its kind in England, the NHS has opened a stop-vaping clinic for Liverpool teenagers in efforts to curb the rise in e-cigarette nicotine-dependent 11-15-year-olds.
Alder Hey Children’s Hospital saw the first teenage patients at its new locally-commissioned vaping cessation service in January, reports The Guardian.
Vaping among young people has risen dramatically in recent years, though data suggest the trend may be levelling off. Figures released last year found 18% of 11- to 18-year-olds had vaped – down from 20% in 2023 but higher than the 13% recorded in 2019.
Some 7.2% of children last year said they currently vaped.
Alder Hey’s clinic will focus on 11- to 15-year-olds – a group that vapes less than older teenagers but whose numbers have continued to rise in the past year, according to a survey by Action on Smoking and Health (Ash).
The clinic, which does not expect to see its first results for several months, will help to fill in some of the knowledge gaps about nicotine dependence in young people. Board minutes show staff are working with schools to gather data that will help drive the service, including the numbers of nicotine-dependent children.
Treatments would be tailored to the individual and could include nicotine substitution or therapy-based approaches to help decrease the amount the teenagers vape, as well as support around peer pressure and behaviour, the Alder Hey NHS trust said.
The lack of current data on how vaping affects young people means treatment may take several forms, with questions raised in consultations about the level of nicotine dependence and the idea that there may be cases of young people who are addicted to the process of vaping but not to nicotine.
Illegal vapes add additional challenges.
The trust was presented with evidence that one in six confiscated vapes at schools were spiked with the addictive synthetic cannabinoid spice, which could make treatment more complicated in those cases.
The NHS still considers vapes to be a useful tool for helping adults to quit smoking. A 2024 review of scientific evidence found that nicotine e-cigarettes help more people to stop smoking than nicotine replacement therapy such as patches or gum.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Forty UK children hospitalised for vaping disorders
Teenager’s lungs collapse four times from vaping
Parent, sibling attitudes among top influences on teenage vaping