Protruding facts
Findings drawn during the first Quebec survey on tobacco and vaping products (EQTPV) in 2020 revealed that the prevalence of vaping is higher in adolescents and young adults than in older adults. Consequently, special attention must be paid to young vapers, who find themselves at risk of developing nicotine dependence although they have for the most part never used tobacco products. In older adults, it is also relevant to examine the use of vaping products as support for smoking stop, the use of tobacco remaining a major factor of avoidable mortality in Quebec as elsewhere in the country.
Several events that have occurred since 2020, including the COVVI-19 pandemic and the promulgation of new Quebec and Canadian legislative measures framing the use of tobacco products (increase in taxes) or vaping products (limit of the quantity of nicotine contained in products, prohibition of flavors), may have contributed to modifying the portrait of nicotine consumption in Quebec since the first collection of data EQTPV.
A statistical portrait of the use of cigarettes or vaping products in 2023 among Quebecers aged 15 years and over has been carried out, and allows the establishment of the following observations:
- The prevalence of vaping during the 30 days preceding the survey is 7 %, which represents a statistically significant increase since 2020 (4 %). This increase is more marked in 20-24 year olds, from 13 % to 23 %.
- A low decrease in the prevalence of cigarette use is noted between 2020 (12 %) and 2023 (11 %), but it could be attributable to the drop in response rates in 2023.
- The proportion of vapers using a disposable device increased from 4 % in 2020 to 46 % in 2023, while the use of a device with pre -filled disposable cartridges or a device with a tank to fill with liquid has decreased considerably.
- The third (33 %) of Quebecers aged 15 and over who tried to stop or have stopped smoking for less than two years claim to have used an electronic cigarette.
The rise in vaping in Quebec in 2023 is accompanied by an increase in the proportion of vapers making more than 25 uses per day of their electronic cigarette, especially among those under 25. Knowing that more than 90 % of vapers aged 15 to 24 reported having consumed a vaping liquid containing nicotine during the month preceding the survey, these findings suggest the development of nicotine dependence in several young vapers. The use of cigarettes remains, for its part, relatively stable. These observations illustrate the importance of supporting and strengthening vaping prevention efforts with adolescents and young adults, while promoting the renunciation of smoking and vaping among Quebec smokers and vapers.
