Nicotine e-cigarettes may help young adults stop smoking

1. This quantitative study found that nicotine e-cigarettes may be an effective tobacco cessation strategy.

2. However, dual use of e-cigarettes and regular cigarettes may lead to heavier use of both over time.

Evidence Rating Level: 2 (Good) 

E-cigarette use in the United States has been rapidly increasing, especially among adults aged 18-25. One commonly cited reason for using e-cigarettes is as a cessation strategy to stop smoking. Prior studies have provided conflicted results on whether this strategy is effective. Furthermore, few studies have focused exclusively on young adults, who are the most common users.

This quantitative study comes from the Smoking Tobacco and Drinking (STAND) study, which was a randomized smoking cessation trial conducted over Facebook by the University of California San Francisco. Participants were included in the data if they were aged 18-25, smoked 4+ days/ week and reported heavy drinking in the past month (N=179). Participants were excluded if they did not complete all subsequent surveys. In the study, participants received daily posts for 90 days and weekly live counselling for 12 weeks. They then completed surveys at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months regarding their past-month e-cigarette use. The measured outcome variables were abstinence rates and number of cigarettes used per week.

Results indicated over 70% of participants reported dual use of e-cigarette and cigarette smoking. Neither past month tetrahydrocannabinol or nicotine e-cigarette use were associated with smoking cessation or reduction. Amongst participants attempting to quit, use of nicotine e-cigarettes as a cessation strategy was correlated to higher odds of self-reported abstinence. However, dual use of e-cigarettes and regular cigarettes had lower odds of abstinence and may have actually led to increased use of both products. This study was limited in its reliance on self-reported data. Nonetheless, this study furthered our understanding of young adults’ use of e-cigarettes.

Click to read the study in Journal of Addiction Medicine

Image: PD

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