The Cafe Scientifique event "Peering Through the Haze — Let’s Talk About Vaping" will be held this Sunday afternoon, as part of the New Zealand International Science Festival.
Organised by the University of Otago’s Aspire research centre, the event will give parents and rangatahi the chance to join a panel of experts for afternoon tea and a kōrero about the impact of vaping on our community.
Panellist Prof Janet Hoek, of the University of Otago department of public health, had a long-standing interest in young adult behaviour around smoking and vaping.
Prof Hoek said it was concerning that, while smoking levels were very low among young people, vaping had attracted a whole new group of young people.
Many vaping products contained nicotine, and rangatahi reported experiencing the physical sensation of the "headies" (head rush), which was something people experienced when ingesting nicotine, she said.
Data showed 10% of 14 to 15-year-olds reported vaping every day.
However, that rate rose to 20% among young Maori and 25% of young Maori girls.
"We see some really startling and worrying differences there, and it would be tragic if that was to recreate inequities we have worked so hard to reduce with smoking prevalence," Prof Hoek said.
This issue will be among those addressed by expert panellist Catherine Manning, Regional Stop Smoking Service manager for Takiri Mai te Ata Trust in Wellington, which works closely with rangatahi in schools to help them deal with vaping dependence.
She will share what she has learned from the rangatahi she has interviewed.
Helping to organise the event are University of Otago department of public health research fellow Anna DeMello and assistant research fellow Ellen Ozarka, who were looking forward to hearing from the community.
In her research, which had involved working closely with 16 and 17-year-olds, Miss DeMello had learned vaping was "hugely social" among rangatahi.
"There is a lot of sharing going on in all kinds of social settings, and young people are saying it helps them connect with people," she said.
"Nearly everyone knew of places where they could go and buy vapes without being challenged, or could access them through people they knew.
"It seems very easy for them [to get hold of vapes]," Miss DeMello said.
Prof Hoek was hoping the event would attract a very diverse audience, who would participate in an informal question and answer session and share their views on what directions could be pursued.
The final part of the meeting would be a small group discussion, for those who wanted to stay and participate.
"We recognise the expertise that will be in the audience — we know that parents and young people are living through having to deal with vaping, and they will bring perspectives that we are very keen to hear."
- The free Cafe Scientifique session will be held this Sunday, July 2, from 2pm-3.30pm at the Hunter Centre in Great King St (opposite the dental school). All welcome.
