E-cigarette use among students in Cyprus

A recent study conducted by the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) network, in collaboration with the World Health Organization, has identified a significant increase in e-cigarette usage among students in Cyprus. Covering the period 2021-2022, the survey revealed that 4.8% of 11-year-olds, 16.2% of 13-year-olds, and 38.2% of 15-year-olds reported using e-cigarettes at least once in their lives.

These findings were presented by the Minister of Education, Athena Michaelidou, in response to parliamentary inquiries from Odysseas F. Michaelides and Litsa Drousiotou. The Minister emphasized that these statistics serve as a critical baseline for monitoring adolescent health trends and highlight the urgent need for systematic prevention strategies early in the teenage years. The country's participation in the latest 2025-2026 cycle of the survey is already underway.

To address this growing public health concern, the Ministry of Education has implemented a new specialized checklist system within educational institutions. This measure is designed to systematically document incidents of vaping, allowing authorities to track behaviors more effectively and develop targeted interventions to mitigate tobacco and e-cigarette use within the school environment.