CHARLOTTE, N.C. — New CDC reports show the number of people vaping is growing faster than traditional cigarettes.
According to their latest data, young adults in North Carolina are vaping more than any other age group.
It was a study from the help advisor that made us curious about the numbers behind vaping. It claims North Carolina is third on the list when it comes to the growth in 18-24-year-olds who are current e-cigarette users.
OUR SOURCES
- The author of the study, Christian Worstell from helpadvisor.com.
- The CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
- Rr. Payal Kohli
WHAT WE FOUND
Worstell said they used the data from the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, which is a health-related telephone survey conducted in each state.
Every year the CDC releases new numbers, but it's on a two-year delay so the latest data is from 2021.
Looking at the graph, you can see in 2021 more people in the age group 18-24 claimed they currently use e-cigarettes.
And Worstell says that number has grown over the past five years.
"In North Carolina, that number was a 190% increase which was the third highest," Worstell said.
Here in the Tar Heel State, of those surveyed, ages 18-24, 20% said they used e-cigarettes in 2021. That number has more than doubled since 2016.
"20 years ago it was kids smoking in the bathroom today it's high school kids vaping in the bathroom the principal has remanded the same just different technology," Worstell said.
The change in technology still comes with the same risk and some new ones.
We are learning that the stimulants used in vaping can activate the inflammation in your body and it can increase the risk of cancer so a whole host of effects," Worstell said.
Contact Meghan Bragg at mbragg@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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