KUALA LUMPUR, March 27 ― A new study out of the United Kingdom underscores just how much e-cigarettes can help smokers kick the habit.
Published by King's College London, the study shows there are “clear benefits” to using e-cigarettes as a way to quit smoking.
“Our results show that when used daily, e-cigarettes help people to quit smoking, compared to no help at all,” said Dr Máirtín McDermott, a Research Fellow at King's College London's National Addiction Centre and lead author of the study.
He said researchers analysed survey data from 1,155 people including smokers, e-cigarette users, and ex-smokers who had quit within one year prior to completing the survey.
The Cancer Research UK-funded study found those who used refillable e-cigarettes daily were over five times more likely to abstain from tobacco smoking for a month.
This is in comparison to those who did not use any quitting aids.
Those who used disposable, or cartridge e-cigarettes daily were three times more likely to quit smoking for a month.
“These findings are in line with previous research, showing that e-cigarettes are a more effective aid for quitting than nicotine replacement therapy and prescribed medication,” said McDermott.
This supports other studies which show e-cigarettes are an effective way to help smokers quit in comparison to nicotine replacement therapy or medication.
Last year’s Cochrane Review on electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation found “that people were likely to stop smoking for at least six months by switching to vape with nicotine e-liquid instead of nicotine replacement therapy or nicotine-free vape.”
In England, tobacco smoking remains the leading preventable cause of premature death and disease, killing nearly 75,000 people in 2019 alone.
