As more young people continue to take up vaping, students are being encouraged to highlight the effects of e-cigarettes through a new competition.
Launched by Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) Prevention Education and Research Unit (PERU) and the Centre for Population Health, the Youth Voices Vaping poster competition invites western Sydney high school students to voice their concerns on vaping.
Students will submit posters focusing on one of three target areas; the health impacts of vapes, vapes and the effects on the environment or marketing tricks used by vaping industries to target young people.
With eight monetary prizes up for grabs, the competition will award the first prize winner with $200 and subsequent winners with gift vouchers of $100, $50 and $20.
WSLHD PERU Director Smita Shah believes the competition is a great way to “get into the heads of young people” to understand why more are deciding to vape.
“Over the last few years, we know there has been a significant increase in vaping amongst young people, we also know that it carries a significant health risk and one of the biggest concerns in the health area is getting these children addicted to nicotine,” she said.
“We want young people to be the voices to take on the tobacco and vaping industries.”
Member of WSLHD’s Youth Advisory Committee Rose Lewis is one of the people advocating for more awareness of the dangers of vaping for youths.
“I was 16 when I was first offered a vape and didn’t know what it was, so I said no. Lots of young people say yes but if they knew more about what was inside, they might think again before trying vapes,” she said.
The competition comes after NSW Health Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said the growing prevalence of vaping by young people is of “extreme concern”.
“In 2020-2021, more than one in 10 NSW residents aged 16 to 24 years vaped. That rate has more than doubled relative to 2019-2020,” she said.
“This is worrying trend for our young people because vapes can contain many harmful chemicals and toxins, even if they are nicotine free. We know vapes can harm your health in the short-term, but the long-term effects are largely unknown.”
Although tobacco smoking is on the decline, Dr Chant said this increase of vaping has the potential to undermine decades of tobacco control in Australia by creating a new generation of people who smoke.
“There’s strong evidence of a smoking ‘gateway effect’. That is, people who vape are three times as likely to go on to smoke tobacco cigarettes than those who don’t vape,” she said.
“My message to young people who vape: please quit today and know there is support available.”
The Youth Voices Vaping poster competition will run up to Thursday, June 30. For more information click here.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.