John Culatto
AN anonymous survey of children in Gibraltar secondary schools will try to find out how many of them vape and how often.
Public Health Gibraltar will send the survey on electronic cigarettes to parents via email or as letters while schoolchildren can access it with a QR code.
The government reassured in a statement that the questionnaire will be ‘completely confidential’.
The legal age for vaping is 18-years-old upwards, a rule shops in Gibraltar enforce without exceptions.
Parents will be able to see the questions before the survey starts on December 8.
The closing date for answers is December 22.
“The data will be used to assess the level of use of electronic cigarettes within the target age group,” Dr Helen Carter Director of Public Health said:
“I want to reassure both the parents and the children taking part that we cannot identify the person answering the questions, so there will be no repercussions to anyone.”
It follows UK press reports that more children from 16 to 18-years-old are taking up vaping than ever before.
Other reports suggested that leading vaping brands were targeting children in their social media advertising.
While vaping has been proven to be much less harmful than smoking, experts are concerned a whole generation of children will grow into adulthood addicted to nicotine.
The UK has previously ran campaigns to get smokers to switch to vaping, which does not cause cancer, lung or heart disease.
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