Electronic Cigarettes May Help Regular Cigarette Smokers Quit

THURSDAY, April 4, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Since 2018, smokers who switch to electronic cigarettes are more likely to stop smoking regular tobacco cigarettes, according to a study published online April 3 in Nicotine & Tobacco Research.

Karin A. Kasza, Ph.D., from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York, and colleagues compared real-world trends in population-level cigarette discontinuation rates by electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) use. The analysis included 13,640 adults (aged 21 years and older) who smoked cigarettes and participated in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study (2013/2014 to 2021; waves 1 to 6).

The researchers found that between 2013/2014 and 2015/2016, cigarette discontinuation rates were 16 percent for both those who used ENDS and those who did not. However, between 2018/2019 and 2021, rates were approximately 30 percent for those who used ENDS and approximately 20 percent for those who did not. There was a significant interaction noted for time by ENDS use.

"The relationship between adults' ENDS use and cigarette discontinuation in the context of an expanded ENDS marketplace, new tobacco regulatory actions, and COVID-19 differs from the relationship in earlier years," the authors write.

One author disclosed stock holdings with several companies.

Abstract/Full Text