South Nassau Communities Hospital’s latest “Truth In Medicine Poll” reveals 80 percent of parents from New York and Long Island think vaping is addictive and 63 percent consider it unsafe.
Furthermore, 56 percent of them opposed supporting vapes shops in their community, while 32 percent support allowing such establishments to open, and 12 percent aren’t sure if they support or not vape shops in their area.
Eighty-five percent of the parents are concerned that children under 18 are curious about vaping, which may suggest a need to increase awareness and broader education about e-cigarettes and alike.
“Our poll shows that parents in our area believe that our kids are just as curious about vaping as they are about marijuana and alcohol,” said Aaron E. Glatt, South Nassau’s Department of Medicine chair and hospital epidemiologist. “No matter how it is delivered, whether by traditional cigarette or through vapor, nicotine in any form is highly addictive and can harm brain development in teenagers and young adults.”
The survey further revealed that when parents were asked which vice they thought was most dangerous for their children — alcohol, marijuana, or vaping — 58 percent said that all are equally dangerous, 26 percent chose alcohol, 7% said it's cigarettes, and 6 percent said vaping.
Sponsored by Bethpage Federal Credit Union, the poll was conducted by LJR Custom Strategies through landlines and mobile phones from April 11-17 of 600 parents of at least one child under 18 in New York City and on Long Island.
