A study published in Annals of Internal Medicine looks at vapes for smoking cessation in disadvantaged groups.
Prof Leonie Brose, Professor of Addictions & Public Health at King’s College London, said:
“This very well-conducted Australian study shows that vaping is more effective than traditional nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) for helping people quit smoking. This is in line with what we know from previous evidence. What makes this study stand out is its focus on less advantaged groups, who are often hit hardest by smoking-related illnesses. And by offering participants a choice of vaping devices and flavours, the researchers created a more realistic scenario. Interestingly, the effectiveness of vaping over NRT was greater than anticipated.
“These results are particularly relevant for England, where we are currently evaluating ‘Swap to Stop’, the national initiative providing free vapes to get more people from less advantaged groups to stop smoking.”
Prof Peter Hajek, Professor of Clinical Psychology and Director of the Health and Lifestyle Research Unit, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), said:
“Compared to the general population, rates of smoking are much higher and rates of quitting smoking lower among people whose lives are more stressful. In previous studies in unselected groups of smokers, e-cigarettes were up to twice as effective as NRT. In this study looking at a large sample of people on income support, the advantage of vapes over NRT was three-fold!
“As vaping poses only a small fraction of risks of smoking, encouraging smokers who find giving up nicotine difficult to use vapes seemed always a logical and sensible thing to do. This high-quality study with rigorous outcome criteria shows that it is also effective.”
‘Vaporized Nicotine Products for Smoking Cessation Among People Experiencing Social Disadvantage’ by Ryan J. Courtney et al. was published in Annals of Internal Medicine at 10pm UK time on Monday 14 July.
DOI: 10.7326/ANNALS-24-03531
Declared interests
Leonie Brose: “I have no interests to declare.”
Peter Hajek: “No COI”