AN investigation into the popularity of vaping among youngsters will result in public health teams undertaking more work in schools to better understand its rise in prominence.
A scrutiny panel - which includes councillors, public health teams, hospital medics and Barnsley Youth Council representatives - have been working together since last autumn.
Children using vapes in the past three years has tripled, with 20.5 per cent of children aged between 11 and 17 having tried vaping in 2023, according to Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).
Posters in schools, colleges and high footfall areas such as Barnsley Interchange have been placed which highlight the facts about vaping and e-cigarettes, helping parents, carers and young people understand the risks.
A report said: “As part of its work programme for 2023/24 the overview and scrutiny panel agreed to undertake a task-and-finish investigation into vaping.
“Members had become increasingly concerned regarding the numbers of young people vaping in the borough.
“This included concerns regarding the health impact on individuals, the vast availability of vapes in shops as well as illicit vapes, the marketing of vapes at young people in terms of bright packing and flavours and the impact on the environment, particularly with the prevalent use of single-use vapes.
“Vaping has become particularly popular over recent years and was often used to quit smoking, however it is increasingly attracting people who have never smoked, especially young people.
“Throughout the investigation, one of the key concerns was the number of young people who are vaping and the impact this is having on their health and education.
“Public health is already engaging with local schools - the data and insight helps us to understand the key health and wellbeing issues of children and young people in Barnsley and how we can work to address any issues.
“We also welcomed the knowledge gained from Barnsley Hospital’s respiratory nurses during the study, highlighting the importance of their frontline position in terms of being early identifiers of any trends or impacts of vaping on patients.
“The nurses had undertaken their own research at the hospital, which could be a useful tool as part of the work in future.
“Public health has invited nurses to all Tobacco Control Alliance meetings in future and have asked them to prepare a presentation on the impact of vaping and insight from their hospital role.”
Barnsley is one of the worst-impacted places for youngsters seeking to buy illegal vapes in the country, research also uncovered.
The study analysed monthly Google searches for illegal vapes by using banned varieties to cross-reference searches by location.
The town had an average monthly search volume of 262 per 100,000 people, with frequent searches for ‘Crystal Pro Max’, which accounts for 117 of Barnsley’s vape searches.
It’s illegal to sell vapes containing more than 2ml of e-liquid in the UK, however addictive vapes containing more than 15 times the legal limit have been found following raids in Barnsley and its South Yorkshire neighbours.
Anna Hartley, executive director for public health and communities, said: “In Barnsley we’re committed to making sure everyone in our communities can get the support they need to live happier, healthier, longer lives.
“It has been great to share what our teams and partners are doing to support our communities and make smoking and vaping invisible.
“We have an unwavering commitment to safeguarding public health and fostering informed decision-making.
“It serves a valuable reminder of how by working together, we’re creating the change we want to see locally and nationally.”
