Regulations on electronic cigarettes may impact effectiveness as cessation tool, study reveals

A study published today in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research, reveals that regulations on electronic cigarettes (ECs) may impact their effectiveness as a cessation tool. This study might help explain some of the mixed results on the effectiveness of ECs that has been published in the literature.

The authors analysed data from a longitudinal cohort survey carried out between 2010 and 2014 of over 1,700 smokers located in the US, the UK, Canada, and Australia. At the time of the surveys, the former two countries imposed few restrictions on ECs, while the latter two imposed significant regulations on the sale and use of ECs. After comparing respondents' quit attempts, cessation aids used, and how long smoking abstinence lasted between the two sets of countries, the authors found that sustained smoking abstinence with ECs was more likely in countries with less regulation on ECs. In the US and the UK, 73% of quit attempts using ECs reported sustained cigarette abstinence, compared to 32% in Canada and Australia.

The study's findings show that "the benefits of ECs for smoking cessation may be limited to those who reside in an environment where there are few restrictions on the retail sale and marketing of ECs." Dr. Hua-Hie Yong, lead author at Cancer Council Victoria, advises: "developing an appropriate regulatory framework for ECs should be a priority so that the benefits of ECs for smoking cessation can be realized. Where the regulatory environment supports it, given the popularity of ECs, smokers who are unable or unwilling to quit using current approved methods should be offered the option of using ECs as short-term aids to quit smoking or replacing smoking with ECs for harm reduction purposes."A

Source: Oxford University Press USA

Comments

  1. Katland Kat Katland Kat Canada says:

    I live in Canada and been vaping for six and half years.  I started this by buying online not going to shops.  Mostly when I am vaping people say are you worried about exploding so it is more bad info preventing people to switch to vaping.  That and making it classed as tobacco with same rules applied.  I can't wait for the day that science wins here and vaping is not lumped in with smoking.  It will happen at some point .... you can't deny the science for ever.  I still have problems with why are they making us vape next to a smoker...it is insane.  I still buy online and packed away a good supply of base e liquid (I make my own)  Some day this will all change but I do believe that it will change.  Basic thing is still it is not smoke

  2. David Bareham David Bareham United Kingdom says:

    The authors actually state in the full article that “. . . long-term quit outcome was not evaluated in this study, so we can say nothing about effects on subsequent relapse”, and that “The primary outcome was self-reported abstinence for at least 30 days regardless of smoking status at follow-up assessment.” So, with no biochemical verification, and such a short-term measurement for self-reported cessation, one has to seriously question the validity of this research.

    David Bareham, Louth, Lincolnshire.

The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of News Medical.
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