Effectiveness of e-cigarettes as aids for smoking cessation: evidence from the PATH Study cohort, 2017-2019.

Introduction:
This text summarizes a research study on the effectiveness of e-cigarettes as aids for smoking cessation in the USA from 2017 to 2019. The study uses data from the PATH Cohort Study and examines the association between e-cigarette use and successful quitting or relapse among recent quit attempters and recent former smokers.

Key Points:

* The study finds that e-cigarette use among recent quit attempters in 2017 was lower than in previous years, and the proportion of recent former smokers who switched to high nicotine e-cigarettes in 2019 increased compared to 2017.
* Propensity score matching was used to adjust for potential confounding variables, but the study is observational and cannot establish causality.
* Among recent quit attempters, e-cigarette use was associated with a lower rate of 12+ months of cigarette abstinence compared to no product use and pharmaceutical aid only.
* Among recent former smokers, those who switched to e-cigarettes appeared to have a higher relapse rate than those who did not switch to e-cigarettes or other tobacco products, but the difference was not statistically significant.
* The study concludes that the increase in high nicotine e-cigarette sales in 2017 did not translate to more smokers using these e-cigarettes to quit smoking and that using e-cigarettes for cessation in 2017 did not improve successful quitting or prevent relapse.

Main Message:
The main message of this study is that e-cigarettes may not be effective in helping smokers quit or prevent relapse, and that the increased sales of high nicotine e-cigarettes in 2017 did not translate to more successful quitting in the population. The study highlights the need for further research on the effectiveness and safety of e-cigarettes as cessation aids and the importance of considering the potential risks and benefits of e-cigarette use in regulatory decisions.

Chen R, Pierce JP, Leas EC, et al. Effectiveness of e-cigarettes as aids for smoking cessation: evidence from the PATH Study cohort, 2017-2019. Tobacco control. Published online February 7, 2022. doi:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2021-056901