Vaping doubles risk of headaches in teens, study finds

BOSTON - Headaches are common in kids, and a new study looked at lifestyle factors that could be playing a role.

A team of researchers in Canada looked at data on nearly five million children ages 5 to 17, specifically at the connection between frequent headaches, or having a headache more than once a week, and certain behaviors.  

They found that daily vaping doubled the risk of frequent headaches in teens.  

Kids who skipped regular meals, like breakfast, were also much more likely to have frequent headaches.  

Other factors that can contribute include alcohol use, staying up late, spending more than 14 hours on screens a week, and being exposed to household smoking.  

The study suggests that lifestyle changes, like eating breakfast and dinner as a family, could help reduce headaches in children and improve their quality of life without the use of medication.

In:
• Vaping
• Boston
• Canada
• Children

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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