Bangkok Has Thailand's Highest Number of Vaping Users

On July 10, news emerged that a recent nationwide survey conducted by the Thai Health Service Support Department (DHSS) found that approximately 9.1% of young people in Thailand use e-cigarettes, raising serious concerns among public health officials.

Surveyors collected responses from over 60,000 respondents between April 25 and June 6, 2023, revealing that 14.6% of young people in the Bangkok area use e-cigarettes, ranking first in the country. The survey found that 92.2% of the surveyed teenagers started using e-cigarettes due to peer influence. Meanwhile, 3.2% reported being introduced to e-cigarettes by family members, and 1.6% mentioned being guided by family. Additionally, 43.9% admitted to using both cigarettes and e-cigarettes simultaneously. Currently, e-cigarette use is prohibited in Thailand, but organizations opposing the e-cigarette ban hope that the new government will take new actions after the 2023 elections to learn from international experiences and scientific evidence. From a scientific theoretical perspective, this could help reduce the negative impact on smokers and protect minors from the harm of e-cigarette products.