Paediatricians see vaping risks but lack tools to help teens quit

Two thirds of Australian paediatricians don't know where to refer adolescents for support to quit vaping, new Federation University research has found – highlighting a critical gap in the response to youth vaping.

A survey of 90 paediatricians and paediatric registrars across Australia revealed while respondents overwhelmingly recognise vaping as a major health concern for adolescents, limited knowledge about where to refer patients, resource and time constraints were reported as barriers to providing additional support.

Just one in five paediatricians reported assistance with vaping cessation support for adolescents and around one-third arranging follow-up care.

Lead researcher, Dr Naima Nimmi, a Federation PhD candidate, said only one-in-three paediatricians were aware of referral pathways for vaping cessation support, highlighting a critical gap between recognising the problem and helping young people address it.

“Recognising the risks and advising someone to stop are important, but we also need to help them to take the next step,” Dr Nimmi said.

“Treatment and referral pathways for cigarette smoking are more established, but for vaping it’s not so clear. Paediatricians in particular are struggling because they are uncertain about where to direct young people for help."

The study found 90 per cent of paediatricians recognised vaping as addictive, while almost all respondents viewed vaping among adolescents as a gateway to tobacco and other substance use.

More than two-thirds of paediatricians routinely advised adolescents against vaping, but the referral knowledge and time constraint were reported as barriers reduced their capacity to provide more intensive support.

Dr Nimmi said the findings highlighted the need for clearer referral pathways and more practical support for paediatricians.

“Equipping paediatricians with clear referral pathways, practical training and accessible resources could help more adolescents get the support they need to quit.”

The survey also found senior paediatricians were more likely to recognise symptoms associated with e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) and were less likely to report time pressures as a barrier.

 The results have been published in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health.

The PhD study was supervised by Federation University public health expert Professor Dr Muhammad Aziz Rahman and co-supervised by Dr Bindu Joseph. The external supervision panel members include Dr Anita Munoz, Professor Habib Bhurawala and Professor Simta Shah.