“I just wish vaping wasn’t a thing”: an Australian qualitative study of parental concerns and perceptions towards adolescent vaping
Abstract Background With the rapid increase of e-cigarette or vaping use in adolescents, parents can provide unique perspectives to assist in addressing this issue. As research regarding parent experiences of adolescent vaping is generally limited, this study therefore explored parent: (i) perceptio...
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| Language: | English |
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BMC
2025-03-01
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| Series: | BMC Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-22222-4 |
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| author | Shiho Rose Bronwyn McGill Christina Watts Alecia Brooks Anita Dessaix Becky Freeman |
| author_facet | Shiho Rose Bronwyn McGill Christina Watts Alecia Brooks Anita Dessaix Becky Freeman |
| author_sort | Shiho Rose |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background With the rapid increase of e-cigarette or vaping use in adolescents, parents can provide unique perspectives to assist in addressing this issue. As research regarding parent experiences of adolescent vaping is generally limited, this study therefore explored parent: (i) perceptions regarding adolescent vaping; and (ii) experiences of addressing their adolescent vaping in the home environment. Methods Online focus groups (n = 18, with 92 participants) were conducted in April 2023 as part of the Generation Vape research study in Australia. Parents were eligible if they had at least one child aged 14–17 years who attended high school and who lived with them most of the time. Results Using reflexive thematic analysis, three main themes were generated: (i) perceptions about own adolescent vaping; (ii) boundaries for vaping; and (iii) conversations between parent and adolescent. Participants largely agreed they do not condone vaping in their children, however, felt resigned that experimenting was inevitable. For some, vaping was a lesser concern compared to other issues, with a view that social vaping is more accepted, as opposed to regular use. Conversations appeared to occur opportunistically, but participants felt uninformed about vapes which was seen as a barrier. Conclusions Our findings highlight that adolescent vaping is a complex issue for parents to address. While parents represent one important part in tackling this issue, they feel uninformed nor empowered to do so. Additionally, prevailing perceptions about “acceptable” vaping and misconceptions regarding addiction need to be addressed, with a clear message that any vaping is harmful for adolescents and should be discouraged. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e3d1dd0fab1f433da813d08dc46f025e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-e3d1dd0fab1f433da813d08dc46f025e2025-08-20T03:45:32ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582025-03-0125111110.1186/s12889-025-22222-4“I just wish vaping wasn’t a thing”: an Australian qualitative study of parental concerns and perceptions towards adolescent vapingShiho Rose0Bronwyn McGill1Christina Watts2Alecia Brooks3Anita Dessaix4Becky Freeman5The Daffodil Centre, The University of Sydney, A joint venture with Cancer Council NSWPrevention Research Collaboration, Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of SydneyThe Daffodil Centre, The University of Sydney, A joint venture with Cancer Council NSWCancer Prevention and Advocacy Division, Cancer Council NSWCancer Prevention and Advocacy Division, Cancer Council NSWPrevention Research Collaboration, Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of SydneyAbstract Background With the rapid increase of e-cigarette or vaping use in adolescents, parents can provide unique perspectives to assist in addressing this issue. As research regarding parent experiences of adolescent vaping is generally limited, this study therefore explored parent: (i) perceptions regarding adolescent vaping; and (ii) experiences of addressing their adolescent vaping in the home environment. Methods Online focus groups (n = 18, with 92 participants) were conducted in April 2023 as part of the Generation Vape research study in Australia. Parents were eligible if they had at least one child aged 14–17 years who attended high school and who lived with them most of the time. Results Using reflexive thematic analysis, three main themes were generated: (i) perceptions about own adolescent vaping; (ii) boundaries for vaping; and (iii) conversations between parent and adolescent. Participants largely agreed they do not condone vaping in their children, however, felt resigned that experimenting was inevitable. For some, vaping was a lesser concern compared to other issues, with a view that social vaping is more accepted, as opposed to regular use. Conversations appeared to occur opportunistically, but participants felt uninformed about vapes which was seen as a barrier. Conclusions Our findings highlight that adolescent vaping is a complex issue for parents to address. While parents represent one important part in tackling this issue, they feel uninformed nor empowered to do so. Additionally, prevailing perceptions about “acceptable” vaping and misconceptions regarding addiction need to be addressed, with a clear message that any vaping is harmful for adolescents and should be discouraged.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-22222-4E-cigarettesVapingAdolescentParentsTobacco control |
| spellingShingle | Shiho Rose Bronwyn McGill Christina Watts Alecia Brooks Anita Dessaix Becky Freeman “I just wish vaping wasn’t a thing”: an Australian qualitative study of parental concerns and perceptions towards adolescent vaping BMC Public Health E-cigarettes Vaping Adolescent Parents Tobacco control |
| title | “I just wish vaping wasn’t a thing”: an Australian qualitative study of parental concerns and perceptions towards adolescent vaping |
| title_full | “I just wish vaping wasn’t a thing”: an Australian qualitative study of parental concerns and perceptions towards adolescent vaping |
| title_fullStr | “I just wish vaping wasn’t a thing”: an Australian qualitative study of parental concerns and perceptions towards adolescent vaping |
| title_full_unstemmed | “I just wish vaping wasn’t a thing”: an Australian qualitative study of parental concerns and perceptions towards adolescent vaping |
| title_short | “I just wish vaping wasn’t a thing”: an Australian qualitative study of parental concerns and perceptions towards adolescent vaping |
| title_sort | i just wish vaping wasn t a thing an australian qualitative study of parental concerns and perceptions towards adolescent vaping |
| topic | E-cigarettes Vaping Adolescent Parents Tobacco control |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-22222-4 |
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