E-Cigarette Use in the Past and Quitting Behavior in the Future: A Population-Based Study

Introduction:
This text is a population-based study examining the relationship between e-cigarette use and quitting behavior in smokers. The study surveyed California smokers at two time points one year apart and used logistic regression analyses to determine whether history of e-cigarette use at baseline predicted quitting behavior at follow-up.

Key Points:

* The study found that smokers who ever used e-cigarettes were less likely to decrease cigarette consumption and less likely to quit smoking for 30 days or more at follow-up.
* The study included 1000 baseline smokers and used consistent e-cigarette behavior at baseline and follow-up to limit analyses to smokers who reported consistent e-cigarette behavior.
* The study controlled for demographics and smoking behavior at baseline.
* The study found that ever-users of e-cigarettes were more likely to report a quit attempt, although this was not statistically significant.
* The study used a convenience sample of 81 ever-users of e-cigarettes and found that most participants were using them to quit smoking, but it provided no clear indication of how successful they were.
* A larger follow-up survey of e-cigarette users by the same authors indicated that almost all former smokers (96%) agreed that e-cigarettes helped them quit smoking and 57.7% of current smokers believed that e-cigarettes would help them quit or avoid relapsing.
* However, these studies were biased toward self-selected current users without comparison groups, and the actual influence on quitting among ever-users versus never-users is unknown.
* A meta-analysis by Grana et al. found that all 4 prospective studies that assessed the influence of e-cigarette use on quitting behavior found that e-cigarette use did not assist smokers in quitting.

Main Message:
The main message of this text is that smokers who have used e-cigarettes may be at increased risk for not being able to quit smoking. These findings have important policy and regulation implications regarding the use of e-cigarettes among smokers. The study suggests that e-cigarettes may not be an effective tool for smoking cessation and may even hinder quitting attempts. Therefore, further research is needed to determine the potential harm versus benefits of e-cigarettes, and policies should be implemented to closely monitor their use in the population.

Al-Delaimy, Wael K., Mark G. Myers, Eric C. Leas, David R. Strong, and C. Richard Hofstetter. “E-Cigarette Use in the Past and Quitting Behavior in the Future: A Population-Based Study.” American Journal of Public Health 105, no. 6 (June 2015): 1213–19. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2014.302482.