THE USE OF ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES – A NEW EPIDEMIC AMONG ROMANIAN CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS

Abstract

The use of electronic cigarettes or vaping is an increasingly popular habit among the youths around the world. The intense promotion of vaping devices, their use as a surrogate for classical cigarettes by those who wish to give up the bad habit, and teenagers’ natural curiosity have turned electronic cigarettes into a new public health problem. The aim of this article is to present the vaping devices in an objective way, focusing on containing substances and their impact on health. We believe that the epidemic caused by this new trend can be stopped or at least slowed down by getting the correct information from sources of expertise, and by the joint efforts of parents, teachers, doctors and youths in Romania. Paediatricians, school doctors and psychologists need to sound the alarm and take preventive action in order to raise the awareness on the risks, and in order to limit the spread of vaping in our country.