E-cigarettes as smoking cessation aids: a survey among practitioners in Italy

Introduction:
This text is a summary of a study examining the experiences and beliefs about e-cigarettes among smoking cessation service providers in Italy. The study aimed to investigate the type of inquiries service providers received about the use and safety of e-cigarettes, their experiences with their client's use of e-cigarettes, as well as their own beliefs about the safety and efficacy of e-cigarettes.

Key Points:

* The study used a cross-sectional design and collected data from 179 smoking cessation centers in Italy.
* The results showed that the number of inquiries about e-cigarettes in public smoking cessation clinics in Italy increased compared to previous years.
* Most inquiries about e-cigarettes related to their safety and effectiveness as smoking cessation aids.
* Most Italian service providers believed that e-cigarettes are safe and as effective as conventional pharmacotherapy.
* Only 25.8% of service providers reported that a 'quarter to half' of their clients had used e-cigarettes, and only 5.1% reported that 'quarter to half' used e-cigarettes regularly.
* The prevalence of e-cigarette use in Italy in 2014 seems to be lower than that reported in the UK.
* There is a need for comprehensive training of service providers about the safety and effectiveness of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation treatment.

Main Message:
The study highlights the need for improved knowledge and informed decisions regarding e-cigarettes among smoking cessation service providers in Italy. While e-cigarettes are popular commercial products marketed as safe and effective aids to smoking cessation, there is a lack of comprehensive training and evidence-based information available to service providers. The study suggests that policy-makers should consider the potential effects of public use of e-cigarettes on existing smoke-free policies and the wider public, including exposure to e-vapour and the possibility that e-cigarette use may act as a gateway to smoking initiation among young people. Comprehensive evidence-based training about e-cigarettes will provide significant added value to the daily practice of smoking cessation service providers.

Lazuras, Lambros, Milena Muzi, Caterina Grano, and Fabio Lucidi. “E-Cigarettes as Smoking Cessation Aids: A Survey among Practitioners in Italy.” International Journal of Public Health 61, no. 2 (March 2016): 243–48. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-015-0772-x.