Thomas S, McCarthy S, Pitt H, Freeman B, Arnot G, Daube M
Institute for Health Transformation, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Locked Bag 20000, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia.
School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.
Perspect Public Health. 2025 Mar;145(2):86-96. doi: 10.1177/17579139251319668. Epub 2025 Apr 1.
Parents can play an important role in shaping youth vaping attitudes and behaviours, and are important stakeholders in advocating for policy reforms to protect the health of children and young people. Few studies have qualitatively investigated parents' perceptions of the factors that contribute to the normalisation of vaping for children and young people. This study aimed to understand the range of factors that parents attributed as playing a role in shaping the normalisation of vaping for young people, and the risks that these products pose to the health and wellbeing of young people.
An online qualitative survey was conducted in December 2022 with = 455 Australian parents of at least one child aged 11-17 years. Open text questions interpreted for this article investigated parents' perceptions about whether they thought vapes were normalised for young people; the reasons young people were interested in vaping; and the impact of marketing and novel products on vaping attitudes and behaviours in young people. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.
Parents were clear that vaping was becoming increasingly normalised for young people. They attributed this to four key factors: (1) Peer influences (particularly through school settings); (2) The increased accessibility and availability of vapes in community settings; (3) The role of marketing and novel product design; and (4) The perception that vapes were a healthier alternative to cigarettes or were not harmful.
Understanding parents' views is an important part of developing public health responses to harmful products. Parents were highly aware of, and concerned about, the increased normalisation of vaping for children, and should be engaged by health organisations to support and advocate for policy reform.
父母在塑造青少年对电子烟的态度和行为方面可以发挥重要作用，并且是倡导政策改革以保护儿童和年轻人健康的重要利益相关者。很少有研究对父母关于导致儿童和年轻人电子烟使用常态化的因素的看法进行定性调查。本研究旨在了解父母认为在塑造年轻人电子烟使用常态化方面发挥作用的一系列因素，以及这些产品对年轻人健康和幸福构成的风险。
2022年12月对455名至少有一名11至17岁孩子的澳大利亚父母进行了在线定性调查。为本文解读的开放式问题调查了父母对他们是否认为电子烟在年轻人中已常态化的看法；年轻人对电子烟感兴趣的原因；以及营销和新奇产品对年轻人电子烟态度和行为的影响。使用反思性主题分析法对数据进行了分析。
父母明确表示，电子烟在年轻人中越来越常态化。他们将此归因于四个关键因素：（1）同伴影响（特别是通过学校环境）；（2）社区环境中电子烟的可及性和可得性增加；（3）营销和新奇产品设计的作用；（4）认为电子烟是比香烟更健康的替代品或无害的看法。
了解父母的观点是制定针对有害产品的公共卫生应对措施的重要组成部分。父母高度意识到并关注儿童电子烟使用常态化的增加，卫生组织应让他们参与进来，以支持和倡导政策改革。
