Plain packaging of vape pods reduces young people’s interest in trying them, but does not reduce interest among adults, according to a new study led by UCL and King’s College London researchers.
The study, published in the journal Lancet Regional Health and carried out in collaboration with Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) and Brighton and Sussex Medical School researchers, looked at survey responses from 2,770 young people in Great Britain (aged 11-18) and 3,947 adults (18+) in the UK who were shown either branded vape pod packs or standardised packs.
The research team found that 53% of young people said that their peers would be interested in trying vapes in normal branded packaging. This dropped to 38% if the packaging was standardised, with a white background and black lettering. Among adults, on the other hand, interest remained similar whether packs were standardised in white or branded.
The researchers also found that standardised packaging did not affect how harmful adults perceived vapes to be compared to cigarettes.