Students experiences of smoking and vaping

This is a report by Healthwatch Derbushire. The project looks at smoking and vaping amongst young people.

In the autumn of 2024, feedback was collected from 267 college students. They were asked why they smoke, vape or have chosen not to. Feedback was collected in a short survey. Three colleges were visited to talk to students during freshers’ fairs.

Key findings include

• 98 (37%) students had never tried smoking or vaping
• 39 (15%) students smoked sometimes or every week
• Of the 16 students that smoked cigarettes every week, 13 of them also vaped every week
• Vaping is more common than smoking with 160 (60%) of students vaping now or have done so in the past
• The most common reason given for either smoking or vaping was to reduce stress or to help with mental wellbeing.
• Seven smokers admitted that addiction or habit was why they continued smoking.
• Curiosity and “just wanting to try it” were the main reasons for those who had vaped in the past.
• 89 students used vapes sometimes or every week. Some students told us they would like to quit vaping but didn’t know where to get help with this.
• Smoking and vaping were seen as normal behaviours by students who were under peer pressure to start
• Some students chose to smoke or vape because their family members did. However, of the students who told us about family members who had lung cancer or ill health due to smoking, did not smoke.
• Of the 98 students who had never smoked or vaped, 51 said they avoided it because they knew about the negative health effects.

There are recommendations in this report.

• Provide resources and support aimed at reducing stress and anxiety for young people to improve their emotional wellbeing

• Develop clear, health-literate messaging about the long-term health risks of smoking and vaping. Making sure the messaging is aimed at young people and their families.

• Increase young people’s awareness of the support services available to help them quit smoking. Create resources specifically designed to help young people stop vaping.

• Conduct further research in Derbyshire to understand why vaping is particularly popular among young people.

There are follow up actions in this report. 

The feedback has been shared with decision-makers within the Public Health team at Derbyshire County Council (DCC) and Derby & Derbyshire’s Tobacco Control Strategic Board. The data from this survey will help to inform their work towards a 2030 smokefree Derby and Derbyshire.