Does E-cigarette Use at Baseline Influence Smoking Cessation Rates among 2-Year College Students?

Introduction:
This text provides an analysis of a study examining the relationship between e-cigarette use and smoking cessation among 2-year college students. The study aimed to evaluate the impact of baseline e-cigarette use on self-reported and biochemically verified cessation of all non-medication nicotine/tobacco products at 6-months. The key variables of interest included e-cigarette user status, demographics, smoking characteristics, cessation features, and other independent variables.

Key Points:

* The study included 1,400 participants, of which 617 (44%) were e-cigarette users at baseline.
* Baseline e-cigarette use was associated with cessation of all traditional tobacco products (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.002-1.92), but not with cessation of all non-medication nicotine/tobacco products (OR 1.09, 95% CI 0.75-1.58) or biochemically verified abstinence from tobacco and nicotine products (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.47-1.47).
* Higher confidence and greater time to first cigarette were significantly associated with cessation across all outcomes.
* Female gender was found only to be associated with biochemically verified abstinence from tobacco and nicotine products (OR 2.35, 95% CI 1.19-4.67).
* The study's findings suggest that e-cigarette use at baseline may lead to persistent e-cigarette use rather than complete cessation of nicotine.
* The study highlights the complexities of evaluating the impact of e-cigarette use on cessation and the need for a well-defined description of the term cessation in regard to e-cigarettes.
* More prospective randomized controlled trials with large sample sizes and reliable biochemical verification methods are needed to appropriately investigate the role of e-cigarettes as a cessation aid.

Main Message:
The main message of this text is that while e-cigarette use at baseline may be associated with cessation of traditional tobacco products, it is not significantly associated with cessation of all non-medication nicotine/tobacco products or biochemically verified abstinence from tobacco and nicotine products. The study highlights the need for more research to determine the long-term safety and efficacy of e-cigarettes as a cessation aid and the importance of developing a well-defined description of the term cessation in regard to e-cigarettes. Additionally, the study emphasizes the need for reliable biochemical verification methods in future studies to accurately assess the impact of e-cigarette use on cessation.

Snow, Erika, Tye Johnson, Deborah J. Ossip, Geofrey C. Williams, Duncan Ververs, Irfan Rahman, and Scott McIntosh. “Does E-Cigarette Use at Baseline Influence Smoking Cessation Rates among 2-Year College Students?” Journal of Smoking Cessation 13, no. 2 (June 2018): 110–20. https://doi.org/10.1017/jsc.2017.11.