In recent years, vaping has rapidly emerged as a pressing public health concern in Israel, particularly among adolescents. While adult use remains relatively modest, the rising prevalence among young people has raised significant concerns regarding nicotine dependence and long-term health outcomes.
By 2024, 46% of 15–17-year-olds who had experimented with smoking reported that e-cigarettes were their first product. Current use was also widespread: 15.7% of 15–17-year-olds and 7.6% of 12–14-year-olds identified as active users. Vaping was the leading gateway into nicotine use for young people in Israel.
Regulators responded with a series of measures. As part of this work, Smoke Free Israel looked beyond national borders to understand how young people perceive vaping and how regulation influences behaviour.
Smoke Free Israel’s CEO Shira Kislev recalled her first encounter with The Behaviour Change Collaborative’s (The BCC) youth vaping research in Australia:
“I first came across The Behaviour Change Collaborative’s Influencing Gen Vape research in Professor Chapman’s blog, and it immediately stood out to me. The findings closely reflected patterns we were beginning to observe in Israel.
At that time, we were also preparing our own focus groups with teenagers to better understand the local dynamics of vaping, which made the research particularly relevant and timely.”
Kislev commented on a LinkedIn post about the research, to which The BCC’s Founder and Managing Director, Luke van der Beeke, responded and suggested a meeting. The pair met via Teams to discuss the research in more detail, and specifically, its implications for policy in Israel.
Twelve months later new regulations had come into effect and The BCC’s work was cited in the Regulatory Impact Assessment.
“For us, the BCC’s youth research was more than interesting – it directly shaped policy. When Israel passed new regulations in 2025, the findings helped ensure that health warnings cover 75% of every tobacco and nicotine package, including e-cigarettes.”
Shira Kislev, CEO, Smoke Free Israel
Kislev emphasised that The BCC’s youth vaping research went beyond Smoke Free Israel’s organisational objectives. It offered insights that deepened understanding of the vaping phenomenon and informed the broader regulatory process.
“The Being Gen Vape report allowed us to reflect on what was similar and what was different in Israel. When the patterns were similar, it strengthened the validity of what we were observing locally. When they differed, it pushed us to ask why, and to consider what those differences meant.”
At the time, Israeli law mandated plain packaging but relied only on text-based warnings. The BCC’s findings revealed that when vape warnings looked different from cigarette warnings, adolescents assumed vaping was safer.
“With cigarettes, at least they’re showing on the package what smoking cigarettes can do to you. And they don’t do that on vape boxes.” – Influencing Gen Vape (Year 7/8, male, vapes)
This insight was also cited in Israel’s Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA), supporting legislation for combined picture-and-text warnings and reinforcing the need for consistency across all nicotine products to avoid misperceptions of risk.
“The BCC’s youth vaping research offered a powerful reminder of how regulation shapes perception.”
By 2025, Israel’s new regulations came into effect. All tobacco and nicotine products, including cigarettes, roll-your-own tobacco, hookah, and e-cigarettes were required to carry picture-and-text health warnings covering 75% of packaging.
Israel’s experience underscores the importance of cross-national evidence in shaping effective public health policy. Insights from The BCC’s research have helped validate local findings, refine understanding, and strengthen regulation.
Being Gen Vape was published in 2022 by The Behaviour Change Collaborative. The research was funded by Heathway WA, supported by an in-kind contribution of $30,000 by The BCC. We also released Implications for Intervention Design which has been used extensively by health practitioners in Australia and overseas.
The Behaviour Change Collaborative then secured funding from the Victorian Health Promotion Association (VicHealth) to design and conduct a behavioural segmentation of teen vaping. The resulting report, Influencing Gen Vape, was launched in 2024 and continues to be used to inform campaigns and social marketing programs.
We also authored Talking to Your Teen About Vaping – A Conversation Guide for Parents – developed in partnership with VicHealth.
All documents are available on our resources page.
Finally, The BCC would like to sincerely thank Shira Kislev for being so generous with her time and contributing to this article.
Australia will host the next IUHPE World Conference on Health Promotion in 2028, bringing together global experts to address the growing burden of chronic disease and health inequities.
The Behaviour Change Collaborative (The BCC), is one of five Bid Partners responsible for securing the Melbourne-based conference.
The conference provides a forum for practitioners, researchers and policymakers to share knowledge and improve health equity worldwide.
The BCC’s Founder and Managing Director, Luke van der Beeke, who also represented AHPA on the bid, said: “Hosting the World Conference on Health Promotion in Australia affords the health promotion sector a wonderful opportunity to showcase its strengths on a global stage.
“We are proud to be a part of the winning bid team and look forward to working with global and local partners to deliver an inclusive, engaging event that progresses dialogue on the future of health promotion globally.”
AHPA President, Glen Ramos, noted that IUHPE 2028 is a landmark opportunity to advance evidence-based prevention, strengthen health equity, and showcase Australia’s leadership in health promotion and prevention.
“We look forward to working with our partners to shape a program that reflects the diversity, innovation and impact of health promotion across our region and beyond,” he said.
The BCC has been a small, but notable player in Australia’s health promotion sector for more than a decade. It has worked in partnership with government, NGO’s and academia on scores of health promotion initiatives, most notably teen vaping, youth mental health, physical activity, family and domestic violence and the prevention of alcohol related harm.
As a social enterprise that operates at the intersection of health, social and environmental change, The BCC brings something a little different to the organising team.
The Behaviour Change Collaborative is pleased to announce it has entered a formal partnership with Griffith University’s Social Marketing@Griffith (SM@G).
The move officially links the world’s largest university-based social marketing centre with one of Australia’s leading behaviour change outfits.
The BCC has enjoyed a strong relationship with SM@G for more than a decade during which time we’ve collaborated on projects, and most recently co-hosted Change 2024.
The new partnership will further strengthen both organisations’ ability to generate actionable insight, deliver impactful change programs and build the capacity of others to do the same.
The BCC’s Co-Founder and Managing Director Luke van der Beeke said: “The BCC has a strong track record of working closely with academia for positive impact.
“Our partnership with SM@G is based on a clear values alignment and a desire to leverage the unique strengths of both organisations to deliver behaviour change programs that shift the dial.”
SM@G’s Director Sharyn Rundle-Thiele echoed Luke’s sentiment, and said her team was excited about the new partnership.
“Our change agents will be working under The BCC brand to extend upon our current partnerships that are focussed on delivering change.
“The partnership removes red tape and improves our team’s agility. We look forward to achieving more than ever before.”
The BCC is confident this new partnership will enhance the ability of both organisations to drive positive social change.
The Behaviour Change Collaborative will co-host Change 2024, in partnership with Social Marketing@Griffith.
Change is Australia’s premier social and behaviour change conference featuring a diverse range of speakers and participants from the health, social and environmental sectors.
It comprises two-days of ted-talk style presentations and workshops (included in the registration fee) at which attendees learn practical strategies and techniques to influence attitudes and behaviours that can be applied to real world challenges.
The BCC has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with Social Marketing@Griffith.
“The decision to co-host Change 2024 marks a major step forward in our commitment to working collaboratively with the team at SM@G,” said The BCC’s Founder and Managing Director, Luke van der Beeke.
“We are aligned on values and a shared commitment to creating a space where people tackling some of the world’s most wicked problems can share their ideas, successes and failures,” he said.
Prof. Sharyn Rundle-Thiele, Director at SM@G added: “We are delighted to welcome The Behaviour Change Collaborative as co-hosts of Change 2024. We look forward to uniting our efforts and making Change 2024 the most impactful year yet.”
We hope to see you on 17-18 October 2024 in Brisbane or online and take advantage of this opportunity to be part of a growing community of change agents drawn from Australia and beyond.
Program overview:
Session 1: Navigating Impact, Metrics and Meaningful Change
Session 2: People for the People, Empowering Communities for Change
Session 3: Conservation Catalysts, Innovation for the Planet
Panel: Empathy and Inclusivity
Session 4: End Food Waste, Recipe for Success
Workshops:
Unpacking Behavioural Influence for Intervention Design
Crafting a Strategic Impact Narrative
Pocket Filmmaking 101: Unleashing Your Creativity with Mobile Phone Video Production
Beyond the Individual: Leveraging Behavioural Ecological Systems for Change
Rediscovering the Secret Sauce of Your Programme: 12 Principles of Successful Behaviour Change
A comprehensive, Australian-first research project which aims to deeply understand teenagers’ experiences with vaping has revealed one in four teens are ‘hidden’ and at-risk of vaping, and that owning your own vape is a critical enabler of addiction.
The Influencing Gen Vape research, led by Perth-based social enterprise The Behaviour Change Collaborative (The BCC), in partnership with health promotion foundation VicHealth, involved surveys with almost 3,700 teenagers across Australia.
The Behaviour Change Collaborative’s Founder and Managing Director, Luke van der Beeke, said the research identified seven different groups of teenagers when it comes to vaping, all requiring nuanced information and support.
“It’s important to not just think of young people as either ‘vapers’ or ‘non-vapers’,” Mr. van der Beeke said. “Our research shows that it’s more nuanced than that, so our approach to addressing the issue needs to be more nuanced too.
“For example, the teenager who is curious but hasn’t tried vaping needs a different conversation and different information to the teen who is experimenting or the one who is addicted.”
Consistent with recent academic studies, The BCC’s research found about one-third of teenagers have tried vaping.
In addition, the research reveals that amongst those who haven’t ever vaped, there is a group of ‘susceptible’ teenagers, who are at a higher risk of vaping in the future.
“These ‘susceptible’ teenagers can otherwise be overlooked in the non-vaping count – we now have good insight into where they are at with vaping, what makes them susceptible, and how to strengthen their resolve to reject and avoid vaping,” Mr van der Beeke said.
The Behaviour Change Collaborative’s Director Behavioural Insight, Donna van Bueren, said of those involved in the study, one-fifth are currently vaping, at different levels of use.
“The research reveals a particular group of teenagers, the ‘experimenters’, believe that they are in control of their vaping and will not become addicted because they don’t vape very often,” she said.
“We also discovered that owning a vape is a critical enabler of addiction – after purchasing their own, the teenager’s vaping frequency escalates, followed by nicotine withdrawal and signs of addiction.
“Another key insight showed that many teens start vaping and increase how often they vape for mental health reasons – coping with stress, managing their anxiety, helping them to relax. It’s important to support teens to manage their mental wellbeing in positive and healthy ways.”
The Influencing Gen Vape research was designed to discover the most effective messages, information, skills and supports teenagers need to discourage them from vaping in the future.
VicHealth CEO, Dr Sandro Demaio, said this research arms parents and the community with powerful knowledge on how to support teens.
“We’re proud to partner with The Behaviour Change Collaborative on this groundbreaking project, and to start sharing the important findings with those working in sectors, such as local government, health promotion, community sport and education,” Dr Demaio said.
“Our collective goal is for the learnings to support local communities to craft health promotion interventions and messaging that will positively influence teens’ attitudes and behaviours towards vaping.”
The research also revealed that most teenagers, including older teens, care most about the opinion of their parents, above all others. In light of this finding and building on this and previous studies, The BCC, with the support of VicHealth, has written Talking to your teen about vaping, an evidence-based guide to help parents and caregivers navigate conversations about vaping with their child.
About the study:
Influencing Gen Vape: Unveiling insights into segments of teen vaping categorises young people into distinct segments, decoding their motivations, attitudes and behaviours towards vaping.
As part of the research, online surveys and in-depth conversations were held with 3,699 teenagers aged 12-18 years from across Australia between July – September 2023.
This study gives insights into how to craft health promotion interventions and messaging that will positively influence teens’ attitudes and behaviours towards vaping.
Key insights from Influencing Gen Vape include:
It’s important to reinforce and reward teens’ decision not to vape, as well as encouraging experimenting teens to stop and helping addicted teens to quit.
The role of stress: Many teens start vaping and increase how often they vape for mental health reasons – coping with stress, managing their anxiety, helping them to relax. Parents and health professionals can support them to explore alternative ways to manage these feelings.
Focus on susceptible teens: A group of ‘susceptible’ at-risk teenagers were identified. They’re curious about vaping, have the opportunity to share a vape with friends, and many think they might try vaping in the future.
Owning your own vape is a critical enabler of addiction: After purchasing their own vape, teens’ vaping frequency escalates, followed by nicotine withdrawal and signs of addiction.
A parent’s opinion really matters: Some teens don’t vape because they don’t want to disappoint their parents. It’s important for parents to let them know they think vaping is a harmful decision.
Different teenagers have different needs for information, persuasion and support, so a tailored approach is needed. The Talking to your teen about vaping conversation guide helps parents and carers identify which approach will best suit their child.
An Australian-first research project which aims to deeply understand teenagers’ experiences with vaping has revealed that parents hold more power and influence in tackling vaping than they might realise.
The Influencing Gen Vape research, led by The Behaviour Change Collaborative in partnership with VicHealth, involved surveys and in-depth conversations with over 3,500 teenagers across Australia.
The results have been used to create Talking to your teen about vaping, an evidence-informed conversation guide for parents and carers. The guide helps decode a teenager’s motivations, attitudes and behaviours towards vaping, and understand what messages resonate most.
The BCC’s Managing Director Luke van der Beeke said it was important to not just think of young people as either ‘vapers’ or ‘non-vapers’.
“Our research shows it’s more nuanced than that, so our approach to addressing the issue needs to be more nuanced too.
“For example, the teenager who is curious but hasn’t tried vaping needs a different conversation and different information to the teen who is experimenting or the one who is addicted,” he said.
Dr Sandro Demaio, VicHealth CEO, said it was a welcome finding from the research to see that teenagers really trust their parents and value their opinions.
“Many parents and carers say they feel powerless when it comes to vaping, which is completely understandable.
“So, it was interesting and exciting to find that most teenagers, including those who vape, genuinely care what their parents think.
“We’re proud to partner with The Behaviour Change Collaborative on this groundbreaking project, and to start sharing the important findings with those working to positively influence teens’ attitudes and behaviours towards vaping,” Dr Demaio said.
The goal of the research, and the partnership more broadly, is for learnings to support local communities to craft health promotion interventions and messaging that will positively influence teens’ attitudes and behaviours towards vaping.
