SYDNEY, July 15 (Xinhua) — Nicotine vapes are much more effective than gum or lozenges at helping socially disadvantaged adults quit smoking, an Australian clinical trial revealed on Tuesday.
Over 1,000 daily smokers receiving government financial support were randomly given either eight weeks of vaping products or nicotine gum/lozenges, with all participants receiving supportive text messages to help them quit, according to Australia’s National Drug and Alcohol Research Center (NDARC) at the University of New South Wales.
Six months into the study, 28.4 percent of nicotine vape users had quit smoking, compared to just 9.6 percent using gum or lozenges, said NDARC’s lead researcher Ryan Courtney.
This advantage held steady across all age groups, genders, nicotine dependence levels, and mental health statuses, Courtney said, attributing the trial’s real-world approach, letting participants choose their vaping devices and e-liquid flavors, to these higher success rates.
Nicotine vapes, while not a “magic cure,” offer hope for those unable to quit with other methods by providing both nicotine and the familiar behaviors of smoking, Courtney said.
Australia has one of the world’s lowest smoking rates at 8.8 percent, but socially disadvantaged adults still smoke at triple the rate of their more advantaged peers, according to the trial detailed in the Annals of Internal Medicine published by the American College of Physicians.
Despite similar motivation to quit, they encounter more obstacles and suffer greater health risks, it said.
Although vaping helped more smokers quit, 58 percent of those who quit smoking were still using vapes at the end of the trial. The authors stressed that ongoing support is needed to help people eventually stop vaping as well, since its long-term health risks are still unclear. ■