Some use electronic cigarettes to facilitate smoking cessation. But according to an American study, vapers are less likely to succeed in quitting smoking than people who use other techniques, such as the patch or medication.
- The use of electronic cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid would be associated with seven fewer chances of succeeding in quitting smoking than other methods.
- Vaping did not reduce the risk of relapse compared to other products.
To quit smoking or reduce tobacco consumption, some people rely on electronic cigarettes. But on January 4, the High Council for Public Health (HSCP) published an opinionin which she recommends not offering vaping as a way to quit smoking. “There is insufficient evidence-based knowledge to propose SEDENs as smoking cessation aids in the care of smokers by health professionals”, can we read in the press release.
In a recent study published in the journal BMJ Tobacco Control, researchers from the University of California at San Diego (United States) revealed that the electronic cigarette would be associated with less chances of success in quitting smoking than other methods. To reach this conclusion, scientists carried out work. Their goal was to determine the effectiveness of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid in the United States between 2017 and 2019.
To carry out their research, they analyzed data from a national study called “PATH” (Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health), on smoking and its impact on the health of Americans. The latter covered 3,578 smokers who tried to quit smoking and 1,323 former smokers. Participants were asked what they had used to try to quit smoking. Among the means, we found the electronic cigarette, the patch, the gum, the lozenge and other pharmaceutical products.
Less success and more relapses
According to the results, in 2017, 12.6% of people who tried to quit smoking used e-cigarettes to help them. “Abstinence from cigarettes for vapers was lower than for use of no product. The odds of success for e-cigarette users compared to pharmaceutical aid users were -7.3% and – 7.7% compared to any other method”can we read in the works.
The authors found that smokers who used e-cigarettes appeared to have a higher relapse rate than those who did not vape, “although the difference is not statistically significant”.
“This analysis did not show a cessation benefit from e-cigarette use, either to aid a quit attempt or as a substitute for cigarettes. However, there is evidence that cigarette smokers began to use high nicotine e-cigarettes in 2019 and further follow-up in the PATH study is needed to see if these changes translate into future quitting benefit.”the scientists said.
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