The Impact of Electronic Cigarettes Smoking on the Health of Adolescents and Young Adults

Introduction: Electronic cigarettes, or electronic nicotine delivery devices, have recently appeared on the global market and become very popular with adolescents and young adults. Manufacturers and distributors of e-cigarettes position them as harmless innovative products that reduce or eliminate exposures to harmful tobacco combustion products and help quit smoking, but this is not true. Objective: To establish health effects of electronic cigarettes and the associated risks for young people by reviewing recent research findings. Material and methods: We have searched eLibrary,PubMed, CyberLeninka databases for publications on the topic using the following keywords: electronic cigarettes, vapes, health effects, adolescents, and youth. Of 328 sources initially selected, we included 38 papers published in 2017 to 2023 and reporting results of prevalence of smoking electronic cigarettes, assessing health risks posed by the use of e-cigarettes in the review. Results: Our study revealed the extensive use of electronic cigarettes, specifics of their health effects in young people, the potential for developing nicotine dependence and a whole number of diseases of the respiratory, cardiovascular and digestive systems and other disorders in e-cigarette smokers. According to our findings, e-cigarettes are widely available and easily accessible to schoolchildren and are used not only at home, but also at school. These devices and chemicals contained in the generated aerosols, many of which are carcinogenic to humans, can induce multiple diseases in users. It also demonstrated that young people are poorly aware of adverse outcomes of using the devices. Conclusions: Electronic cigarettes and the substances contained in vaping liquids, many of which are carcinogenic, can have negative effects on health. In order to ensure the health savings of the child population and youth, strict compliance with the already existing introduced legislative restrictions, the implementation of measures restricting the sale of electronic cigarettes and their advertising, as well as the development and implementation of preventive programs for children, adolescents and youth in educational organizations is necessary. Vaping prevention programs implemented at schools should include information about adverse human health effects of electronic cigarettes and possible consequences in case of non-compliance with restrictive legislative measures.