A Descriptive Report of Electronic Cigarette Use After Participation in a Community-Based Tobacco Cessation Trial

Introduction:
In this text, you will learn about a descriptive report of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use among adult Appalachian smokers who participated in a community-based tobacco cessation trial. The report presents the sociodemographic and tobacco-related characteristics associated with e-cigarette use post-treatment, reasons for e-cigarette use, and the association between e-cigarette use pre- and post-treatment and biochemically confirmed 7-day point prevalence tobacco abstinence at 12 months.

Key Points:

* The study included a subset of the total sample enrolled from April 2012 to October 2013 who provided complete answers to use of other tobacco products at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months (n = 217).
* The main exposure variable of interest was e-cigarette use post-treatment. Participants were asked if they used any kind of tobacco in the past 7 days and those answering yes were asked if they currently use e-cigarettes every day, some days, or not at all.
* The primary outcome measure was 7-day point prevalence abstinence from tobacco (not including e-cigarettes) at 12 months post-treatment.
* One in five participants reported using e-cigarettes post-treatment, with the percentage of e-cigarette users generally increasing over time.
* The majority of e-cigarette users were 25-54 years old, female, white, had more than a high school degree or GED, and lived above the 100% federal poverty level.
* The top three reasons for e-cigarette use were: (1) help in quitting, (2) help in cutting down on cigarettes, and (3) not as bad for health.
* Four times as many participants who reported no use of e-cigarettes post-treatment were tobacco abstinent at 12 months, as compared to those who used post-treatment (19.0% vs. 4.7%, p = .021).
* Participants who reported baseline use but no post-treatment use had lower odds of 12-month abstinence, as well as those who reported use at baseline and post-treatment, and those who used e-cigarettes at post-treatment only.

Main Message:
The main message of this text is that e-cigarette use post-treatment was associated with less success in achieving abstinence at 12 months among adult Appalachian smokers enrolled in community-based tobacco cessation treatment. The study highlights the need for further research to understand the relationship between e-cigarette use and cessation.

Curry, Elana, Julianna M Nemeth, Amy Wermert, Sara Conroy, Abigail Shoben, Amy K Ferketich, and Mary Ellen Wewers. “A Descriptive Report of Electronic Cigarette Use After Participation in a Community-Based Tobacco Cessation Trial.” Nicotine & Tobacco Research 20, no. 1 (December 13, 2017): 135–39. https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntx013.