LifeLab team urges MPs to include young voices in future vaping policies
Southampton researchers and young people have been to Westminster to urge MPs to consider young people’s views on vaping.
At Evidence Week in Parliament, a team from LifeLab encouraged policymakers to make young people active partners in addressing a sharp rise in vaping among teenagers.
LifeLab is a collaborative project between the University of Southampton (UoS), University Hospital Southampton (UHS) and the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). It is part of the BRC’s nutrition, lifestyle and metabolism theme.
Rising vaping in young people
A quarter of 11- to 15-year-olds used a vape last year.
Many are attracted to the fruity flavours, bright colours, and branding. However, many young people are concerned about how easily they can access vapes and the marketing tactics used.
LifeLab's researchers and young people attended the Evidence Week event in Parliament to encourage policymakers to work with young people on vaping policies.
They spoke to MPs and parliamentary staff. These included local MPs Caroline Nokes and Darren Paffey. They also spoke to Jonathan Davies, MP for Mid Derbyshire and Lizzie Collinge, MP for Morecambe and Lunesdal.
LifeLab’s Youth Panel members
Professor Kath Woods-Townsend, LifeLab Manager, attended with Maddie Harris, 18, and Eva Morrill, 16. They went with Professor John Holloway, Associate VP of Interdisciplinary Research at UoS.
Both Maddie and Eva took part in the LifeLab Youth Panel. This empowers young people to actively create and implement solutions that could improve their own health and that of their peers.
Their panel focused on the role vaping plays in their lives. They worked with a Global Health Masters student to collect focus group data. They used this to develop resources to support schools and youth organisations to engage and educate young people about the dangers.
Maddie and Eva presented their research, resources and recommendations to MPs at the Evidence Week event. This brings together the public, parliamentarians and researchers from across the UK to discuss how evidence from research can inform policymaking in Parliament.
Giving young people a voice
Kath said: “LifeLab was developed to not only help improve the health of younger generations, but give them a voice in the issues that affect them and their peers.
“Our work with young people and schools has revealed the growing concerns that young people, teachers and parents have about vaping. We have a responsibility to learn the lessons from history, and act now to provide healthy environments which enable the next generation to grow up and live their best lives. However, we must listen and involve young people in understanding the problem and identifying effective solutions.
“We were proud to attend Evidence Week and speak to MPs about what our research has found, especially alongside both Maddie and Eva. It was important to appeal directly to them to involve young people in their work.”
Eva added: “It’s so important that people can hear about the imperative nature of acting now. We still have this shortening moment when we can act and make legislation that will help to protect the health of our generation and many to come. If we don’t do this now, then who knows how large the consequences may be.
"These events help. They set up research connections and increase MPs’ literacy in the current research topics affecting the nation, and it was important to involve young voices. Many in the room agreed and wanted to increase the engagement of the youth.
"I think this is the right way forward, and will ensure that the policies that are made today, and will affect us in the future, have been shaped by us too.”