A recent university study reveals that nearly 70 percent of Hongkongers under 25 have tried e-cigarettes, with 60 percent citing peer pressure as a key reason for choosing alternative smoking products (ASPs). These products include e-cigarettes, heated tobacco, and herbal cigarettes, which have become popular partly due to the lack of traditional tobacco smell and online promotions targeting youth.
Eva Ho Ka-yan, associate professor at the Polytechnic University’s nursing school, highlighted how ASPs are easily accessible in social settings such as clubs and bars, with online videos even instructing teens on how to use water pipes at home, turning these habits into daily routines.
The research involved around 2,000 randomly surveyed individuals and 2,500 who sought smoking cessation services. It found that 69.3 percent of those under 25 had tried e-cigarettes. Among the 573 participants who received telephone counseling from June to November last year, 61.1 percent reported smoking due to peer pressure, and 20.8 percent said it helped relieve stress.
Separately, the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Nethersole School of Nursing surveyed 1,253 smokers in 2023-2024 at smoking hotspots. Nearly all respondents were daily smokers, with 59.1 percent smoking more than 10 cigarettes per day. The survey also found that 35.7 percent of smokers supported plain packaging for cigarettes, which Hong Kong plans to implement in 2027.
Professor William Li Ho-cheung of CUHK noted that while current packaging requires 85 percent of the surface to display pictorial health warnings, cigarette companies often use the remaining space for branding and misleading messages, such as suggesting certain tobacco products are less harmful or “cool.”
Li supported the World Health Organization’s call for plain packaging, pointing to examples like Australia, where smoking rates dropped by 0.55 percent following implementation. Dr. Manny Lam Man-chung, head of Hong Kong’s Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office, emphasized that even small percentage drops translate to significant numbers quitting smoking.
The government’s “Quit in June” campaign will distribute nicotine replacement therapy packages and Chinese medicine ear patches at hundreds of locations to help smokers quit. Dr. Lam encouraged residents to choose methods that best suit them.
Following a 2022 ban on importing ASPs, concerns have emerged that some users may switch back to traditional cigarettes. Eva Ho urged continued education about the harms of all tobacco products and full support for the government’s proposed tobacco control measures.
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