E-cigarettes can boost quitting success by 60%
The findings follow a survey of 5,863 smokers in England who had attempted to stop smoking without the aid of prescription medication or professional support.
A fifth of those using e-cigarettes reported having quit “real” cigarettes at the time of the study.
The research, published in the journal Addiction, suggests e-cigarettes could play a positive role in reducing smoking rates, say experts.
Study leader Robert West, from University College London, said: “E-cigarettes could substantially improve public health because of their widespread appeal and the huge health gains associated with stopping smoking.
“However, we should also recognise that the strongest evidence remains for use of the NHS stop-smoking services. These almost triple a smoker’s odds of successfully quitting compared with going it alone or relying on over-the-counter products.”
The same team, chiefly funded by Cancer Research UK, also found that most e-cigarette use involved first-generation ‘cigalike’ products rather than newer devices that use refillable cartridges and a wider choice of nicotine concentrations and flavours.
Co-author Jamie Brown, also from University College London, said: “We will continue to monitor success rates in people using e-cigarettes to stop smoking to see whether there are improvements as the devices become more advanced.”
Prof West acknowledged that some quitters may want to keep using e-cigarettes indefinitely, and it was not clear whether or not this had long-term health risks.
However, he added: “From what is known about the contents of the vapour, these [risks] will be much less than from smoking.”
However, the Irish Cancer Society said, in the absence of regulation, it could not recommend e-cigarettes.
“Until regulation is implemented, we cannot be sure exactly what is in e-cigarettes and, therefore, it is not possible to know if they are safe,” said ICS health promotion manager Kevin O’Hagan,
He said e-cigarettes were being sold as superior alternatives to cigarettes, not as smoking cessation aids, or a form of nicotine replacement therapy.
“E-cigarettes claim to satisfy nicotine addiction, delivering a hit of nicotine, therefore the user is still left with their nicotine addiction,” he said.
Mr O’Hagan said patches, gums, inhalers, and lozenges were designed to deliver a slower dose of nicotine to help relieve cravings when someone is making an effort to quit smoking and nicotine use completely.
