Geneva [Switzerland], May 24: An estimated 37 million children aged 13-15 years use tobacco globally, with the rate of e-cigarette use among adolescents exceeding that of adults in many countries, a new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) today said.
This comes just ahead of World No Tobacco Day marked on 31st May.
The report, titled "Hooking the next generation",unveiled that 20 percent of 15-year-olds surveyed in the WHO European Region reported using e-cigarettes in the past 30 days.
The report highlighted how the tobacco and nicotine industry designs products, implements marketing campaigns and works to shape policy environments to help them addict the world's youth.
Despite significant progress in reducing tobacco use, the emergence of e-cigarettes and other new tobacco and nicotine products present a grave threat to youth and tobacco control, the WHO report said, adding that "Studies demonstrate that e-cigarette use increases conventional cigarette use, particularly among non-smoking youth, by nearly three times."
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said that "These industries are actively targeting schools, children and young people with new products that are essentially a candy-flavoured trap."
Research in the United States of America found that more than 70 percent of youth e-cigarette users would quit if the products were only available in tobacco flavour, the report added.
Source: Emirates News Agency
