A recently published study conducted by researchers at the University of Queensland shows an apparent slant in how nicotine vaping products (NVPs) are portrayed to Australian pharmacists, focusing on portraying their potential risks rather than their potential benefits. The study's authors wrote in their conclusion that portraying nicotine vaping products in this way "is likely to contribute to misperceptions about the relative harm of NVPs."
The study's authors went on to call for staff at pharmacies to be provided with "unbiased and evidence-based guidance on how to handle customer enquiries regarding NVPs."
The Study
The researchers focused their analysis on Australian pharmacy news sources. They examined the four leading Australian online pharmacy professional news sources and examined articles published between 2007 and August 2019, applying a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to explore how the safety, efficacy and regulation of nicotine vaping products were communicated to Australia's pharmacists.
In total, the researchers identified 103 articles that were relevant to their research and analysed them using the methods described above.
The Study's Findings
The researchers found health effects and safety issues related to nicotine vaping products to be the most prevalent topic mentioned throughout the articles. In 79% of the articles, the topic of health effects and safety issues pertaining to NVPs was mentioned, while only 47% mentioned regulatory issues pertaining to NVPs.
Expert opinions and/or the findings of academic research were cited or referenced more often than government sources were quoted, appearing in 59% and 41% of the articles respectively.
Of the articles that mentioned health effects and safety issues surrounding NVPs, the majority were framed in a loss rather than gain context, placing more emphasis on potential risks than vaping's benefits.
Vaping In The UK & New Zealand
In the UK, a government-mandated e-cigarette evidence review has continually found e-cigarettes to be much less harmful than conventional cigarettes. Acting upon evidence, the UK government now encourages smokers to switch to vaping.
In New Zealand, the Ministry of Health has created a Vaping Facts website that encourages smokers to use vaping to quit smoking while noting that vaping is less harmful than smoking.