E-cigarette users are increasing in the United States as smoking has declined.
- The electronic cigarette is often considered a good way to fight against smoking.
- In the United States, the use of electronic cigarettes has increased while tobacco consumption has reached a historically low level.
- Offering the electronic cigarette as an alternative could be a strategy aimed at the populations most likely to fall into smoking.
A study published in the journal The Lancet brings new factual evidence to the debate over the role of e-cigarettes in tobacco control.
In the United States, the proportion of smokers fell to 12.5% of the population in 2020, its lowest level ever. In the same year, the proportion of electronic cigarette users was 3.7%.
The e-cigarette is often presented as a way to quit smoking or at least an alternative to reduce smoking. However, some experts believe that vaping could also be a gateway to smoking.
This new study shows that the electronic cigarette is still an effective way to reduce tobacco consumption and that this data should be taken into account in tobacco control programs.
Electronic cigarettes more frequently abandoned than tobacco
The study analyzed the behavior of nearly 54,000 Americans between 2015 and 2019. Over this period, 1.7% of the sample declared having started using the electronic cigarette and at the same time, 43.6% declared to have given up this electronic cigarette.
For tobacco, still between 2015 and 2019, 1.6% of the sample started to smoke and only 14% stopped traditional cigarettes. Over the last 12 months of the period studied, young adults aged 18 to 24 and cannabis users were the most likely to initiate either smoking or electronic cigarettes.
Offer electronic cigarettes as an alternative to tobacco
According to the study authors, current tobacco control programs need to focus on these priority populations as well as people with mental health symptoms. Although vaping is not without risks, it seems to have a positive impact in the fight against smoking and can help develop more effective strategies such as offering electronic cigarettes to smokers as an alternative to reduce their tobacco consumption.
