Researchers say the popularity of vaping among young Australian women is a growing public health concern, with new data revealing how many are taking up the habit.

A study has shown that more than one in 10 Aussie women aged 19-26 have tried vaping, but that more than a quarter of users have never smoked cigarettes.

Researcher Alemu Melka, of the University of Newcastle and the Hunter Medical Research Institute said that figure might seem positive, but it was actually concerning because some research indicated that e-cigarette users were more likely to go on to smoke cigarettes.

“If public health programs are to curb the uptake of e-cigarettes by young women then we need to understand the risk factors to target,” he said.

“A lot of the risk factors for e-cigarette use are similar to traditional tobacco use.”

Researchers also found young women who are current smokers are 10-times more likely to use e-cigarettes, and ex-smokers five-times more likely than those who had never smoked.

They surveyed almost 9000 women from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health.

Younger women were more likely to have used e-cigarettes in the previous 12 months than older women.

They also found young women who drank more than two standard drinks per day or who were in financial difficulty were also more likely to have use e-cigarettes recently than other young women.

Mr Melka said women who lived in urban areas were more likely to have tried vaping, likely because e-cigarettes were more easily available.

He said women who had experienced domestic abuse were also more likely to have tried e-cigarettes.

Fellow researcher Dr Catherine Chojenta said e-cigarettes were touted as being a healthier alternative to tobacco and a quit smoking aid but the scientific evidence was not there yet.

“There are concerns about the harmful effects of nicotine and other compounds used in e-cigarette flavourings but it could be another 10 or 20 years before we can say whether there are long term health consequences,” Dr Chojenta said.

Mr Melka is conducting follow up research to investigate whether e-cigarette users from the study go on to become tobacco smokers.

Worldwide e-cigarette use is controversial because many contain addictive substances, primarily nicotine, that lead to long-term nicotine addiction, which can affect brain development in young people.

South Australia has been at the forefront of debate about the vaping industry after its clampdown recently.

New laws passed will ban online sales and regulate vaping devices under the Tobacco Act.

Late last year New Zealand politicians announced strict new vaping rules that would see e-cigarettes treated more like tobacco products.

The country’s government has proposed legal changes that would ban vaping devices and smokeless tobacco products the same as cigarettes in being banned from bars, restaurants and workplaces, as well introducing restrictions on how they can be displayed in stores.