Overview
- Researchers from the University of York and LSHTM synthesized 56 reviews covering 384 studies, including 21 focused on whether youth vaping precedes cigarette smoking.
- Across multiple studies, young people who vape were about three times more likely to start smoking, with evidence they later smoke more frequently and intensely.
- The review found consistent links to respiratory problems, including a 20–36% higher risk of asthma diagnosis and a 44% higher risk of exacerbations, with additional signals for pneumonia, bronchitis, headaches, dizziness, lower sperm counts and poor oral health.
- Vaping in youth was associated with later substance use and mental-health outcomes, including near-tripling to six-fold higher risks for marijuana, 4.5- to over six-fold higher risks for alcohol and binge drinking, and reported associations with depression and suicidal outcomes.
- Authors cautioned that most evidence is observational and cannot prove causation, yet they urged precautionary youth protections; the findings dovetail with the UK’s June ban on disposable vapes and prompted criticism from industry voices who dispute a gateway effect.