Reasons for Electronic Nicotine Delivery System use and smoking abstinence at 6 months: a descriptive study of callers to employer and health plan-sponsored quitlines

Introduction:
This text is a research paper about the relationship between electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use and smoking cessation. The study aims to provide a balanced perspective on the topic and to address the regulatory challenge posed by e-cigarettes. The paper reviews existing literature, presents new research, and offers recommendations for regulation.

Key Points:

* E-cigarettes are a rapidly developing technology with potential benefits and harms.
* Research on e-cigarettes and their impact on smoking cessation is limited and flawed.
* Previous studies have not accounted for important variables, such as reason for e-cigarette use.
* This study examines the relationship between e-cigarette use and smoking cessation in a sample of employed and insured individuals seeking phone-based tobacco cessation treatment.
* The study finds that ENDS users who did not report using ENDS to quit smoking were significantly less likely to be quit at follow-up compared with those using ENDS to quit and non-ENDS users.
* Assessing why and how smokers are using ENDS may help inform clinical intervention strategies and clarify research findings.
* RCTs are warranted to determine whether and, if effective, how ENDS help smokers quit.

Main Message:
The main message of this text is that the relationship between e-cigarette use and smoking cessation is complex and requires further research. The study highlights the importance of accounting for reasons for e-cigarette use and emphasizes the need for well-designed RCTs to determine the effectiveness of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool. The text also emphasizes the need for regulation to balance the potential benefits and harms of e-cigarettes. Overall, the text suggests that a balanced and evidence-based approach is necessary to ensure the public's health and safety.

Vickerman, K A, G L Schauer, A M Malarcher, L Zhang, P Mowery, and C M Nash. “Reasons for Electronic Nicotine Delivery System Use and Smoking Abstinence at 6 Months: A Descriptive Study of Callers to Employer and Health Plan-Sponsored Quitlines.” Tobacco Control 26, no. 2 (March 2017): 126–34. https://doi.org/10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2015-052734.