Real-world effectiveness of e-cigarettes when used to aid smoking cessation: a cross-sectional population study: Real-world effectiveness of e-cigarettes

Introduction:
This text is a summary of a study examining the real-world effectiveness of e-cigarettes when used to aid smoking cessation compared to nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) bought over-the-counter and unaided quitting. The study uses data from a large cross-sectional survey of a representative sample of the English population. The key points and main message of the text are summarized below.

Key Points:

* The study compares the self-reported abstinence rates of smokers in the general population trying to stop who used e-cigarettes only, those who used NRT bought over-the-counter only, or those who made an unaided attempt.
* The study adjusted for a wide range of key potential confounders, including nicotine dependence, age, sex, social grade, time since the quit attempt started, number of quit attempts in the last year prior to the most recent attempt, time spent with urges to smoke, strength of urges to smoke, and year of the survey.
* E-cigarette users were more likely to report abstinence than either those who used NRT bought over-the-counter or those who used no aid.
* The adjusted odds of non-smoking in users of e-cigarettes were 1.63 times higher compared with users of NRT bought over-the-counter and 1.61 times higher compared with those using no aid.
* The study also found that e-cigarette users were more likely to be younger and from a higher social grade compared to those who used NRT bought over-the-counter or no aid.
* E-cigarette users were more likely to smoke more cigarettes and score higher on measures of dependence compared to those who used no aid.
* The study controlled for potential confounding factors, such as nicotine dependence, time since the quit attempt started, and year of the survey, but it is possible that unmeasured confounding factors may have affected the results.

Main Message:
The study found that e-cigarettes were more effective in aiding smoking cessation compared to NRT bought over-the-counter and unaided quitting. This is an important finding given that buying a licensed NRT product from a shop, with no professional support, is the most common way of using it in England. However, it is important to note that the study is observational and cannot establish causality. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and to examine the long-term effects of e-cigarette use on smoking cessation.

Brown, Jamie, Emma Beard, Daniel Kotz, Susan Michie, and Robert West. “Real-World Effectiveness of e-Cigarettes When Used to Aid Smoking Cessation: A Cross-Sectional Population Study: Real-World Effectiveness of e-Cigarettes.” Addiction 109, no. 9 (September 2014): 1531–40. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.12623.