Rise in e-cigarettes use as smoking falls in Scotland

Smoking rates have fallen as use of e-cigarettes rises, according to the Scottish Health Survey.

The number of Scots using e-cigarettes has increased 'significantly' while smoking levels have descreased, new research has found.

Levels of vaping are up to 7 per cent compared to 5 per cent in 2014, with the devices appealing most to young adults.

Between 22 to 26 per cent of those aged 16 to 34 have tried e-cigarettes at some point, compared to four per cent to 10 per cent for those aged 65 and above.

The research showed the number of smokers has continued to fall, with just over a fifth of adults lighting up in 2015 compared to 28 per cent in 2003.

In addition, the average number of cigarettes smoked per day has also dropped, going from 15.3 in 2003 to 12.6 in 2015.

In Scotland, tobacco use is linked to 10,000 deaths a year - about a fifth of the total.

Meanwhile, the number of children exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke in the home has dropped from 11 per cent in 2014 to 6 per cent in 2015 - meeting the Scottish Government target to reduce it to this level five years early.

ASH Scotland chief executive Sheila Duffy said: “This is a significant drop and good news for the Scottish Government’s target of halving children’s exposure to second-hand smoke by 2020.

“Tens of thousands more children are now protected from breathing dangerous tobacco smoke in Scotland’s homes.”

Public health minister Aileen Campbell said: “It’s tremendous news that we’ve seen such a dramatic reduction in the number of children exposed to second-hand smoke in the home - meeting our target five years ahead of time.

“We launched our Take it Right Outside campaign because we know how harmful these chemicals can be for children’s lungs.”