Study: E-Cigarettes Double Quit Rates of Deadly Cigarettes

A recent study by the Swiss National Science Foundation published in The New England Journal of Medicine studied the effect of e-cigarette aid on adults who wanted to quit smoking. A random set of adults who smoked at least five tobacco cigarettes were randomly given 6 months worth of e-cigarette products as a part of their smoking-cessation counseling. This study was done because it is critical that the medical and law-making community understand the benefits of e-cigarettes and vaping products to have informed risk benefit conversation with patients. 

Key Findings:

• 6 months after making the switch from cigarettes to e-cigarettes 59.6% of users were tobacco free and no longer smoking deadly cigarettes
• 6 months after making the switch from cigarettes to e-cigarettes 33.7% no longer smoked the harmful cigarettes and were also completely nicotine free
• 6 months after making the switch from cigarettes to e-cigarettes 41% reported no longer experiencing a cough 
• 6 months after making the switch from cigarettes to e-cigarettes 92% reported sleeping soundly at night 
• Persons in the intervention group had quit rate approximately double those who received counseling alone and a voucher which could be used for nicotine replacement therapies

The study used data from 1246 adults who were randomly assigned to the control or intervention group. The statics above come from the 622 participants in the intervention group. All adults came from different backgrounds and socioeconomic groups. All were in smoking-cessation counseling alongside the use of the e-cigarette. 

The use of e-cigarettes with the smoking-cessation counseling resulted in much higher rates of abstinence from use of deadly tobacco cigarettes. Protecting access to these resources is a crucial part of saving so many lives.