Real-world effectiveness of e-cigarettes: A population study

[Oliver]

REAL-WORLD EFFECTIVENESS OF E-CIGARETTES: A POPULATION STUDY
Jamie Brown*, Ph.D., 1,2, Emma beard, Ph.D., 1, Daniel Kotz, Ph.D., 1,3, Susan Michie, D.Phil., 2, 4, Robert West, Ph.D., 1, 4 1 Cancer Research UK Health Behaviour Research Centre, University College London, WC1E 6BT, UK 2 Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK 3 Department of General Practice, CAPHRI School for Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands 4 National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training, London, UK

Background: Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are rapidly increasing in popularity. Two randomised controlled trials have suggested that e-cigarettes can aid smoking cessation but there are many factors that could influence their real-world effectiveness. This study aimed to assess, using an established methodology, the effectiveness of e-cigarettes compared with nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) bought over-the-counter and with unaided quitting in the general population. Methods: A large survey of a representative sample of the English population. The study included 5726 adults who had smoked within the previous 12 months and made at least one quit attempt during that period with either an e-cigarette only (n=391), NRT bought over-the-counter only (n=2031) or no aid in their most recent quit attempt (n=3304). The primary outcome measure was self-reported abstinence up to the time of the survey, adjusted for key potential confounders including nicotine dependence. Results: E-cigarette users were more likely still to be abstinent than either those who used NRT bought over-the-counter (OR=2•23, 95%CI=1•67- 2•97, 19•9% vs. 10•0%) or no aid (OR=1•40, 95%CI=1•07-1•82, 19•9% vs. 15•1%). The adjusted odds of non-smoking in users of e-cigarettes were 1•66 (95%CI=1•17-2•36) times higher compared with users of NRT bought over-the-counter and 1•60 (95%CI=1•15-2•23) times higher compared with those using no aid. Conclusion: Among smokers stopping without professional support, those who use e-cigarettes appear more likely to be able to remain abstinent than those who use a licensed NRT product bought over-the-counter or no aid to cessation. This difference persists after adjusting for a wide range of smoker characteristics such as nicotine dependence.

FUNDING: JB’s post is funded by a fellowship from the UK Society for the Study of Addiction. RW is funded by Cancer Research UK. We are grateful to Cancer Research UK, the Department of Health and Pfizer for funding this study. This study is partly funded by Pfizer under an investigator initiated award.

 

[Rickajho]

Pfizer is involved? Why is my skin starting to crawl?

 

[Oliver]

They are just the funders - no need to worry, the team are fiercely independent, and Robert West is very much pro-ecigs.

This is the abstract which will be presented at the SRNT conference in Seattle this Saturday. It's the first population study to measure the "real world" effect of e-cigs that I know of, and it's been done by a world-class team.

There are, obviously, problems with the research as presented. For instance, we know nothing about the product types (and associated "success") from the abstract, and I suspect that e-cigs have been treated as a homogenous product. This would be a shame, and a missed opportunity, but I have no doubt that the team will look at this at another point.

In a sense, I suppose, the types of devices being used are outwith the question being addressed here, which is what is happening at the population level.

 

[Jake6731]

"Among smokers stopping without professional support, those who use e-cigarettes appear more likely to be able to remain abstinent than those who use a licensed NRT product bought over-the-counter or no aid to cessation. This difference persists after adjusting for a wide range of smoker characteristics such as nicotine dependence. "

Looks like good news to me..

 

[DrMA]

Excellent! Another arrow in our quiver for fighting the ridiculous "we just don't know" argument.

 

[Bill Godshall]

Please post a weblink for this study, or at least post the publication where it was published.

 

[Bill Godshall]

Smokey Joe wrote:

They are just the funders - no need to worry, the team are fiercely independent, and Robert West is very much pro-ecigs.

While Robert West has recently acknowledged the health benefits of e-cigs for smokers, he actively lobbied for both UK MHRA regulation of e-cigs as "medicines" (which would ban all or nearly all e-cigs in the UK), and the proposed EU TPD regulation of e-cigs as "medicines" (which would have banned all or nearly all e-cigs in the EU).

West is in the same camp of (e-cigs save lives, so lets ban them or give the industyr to Big Tobacco) hypocrites as ASH UK's Deborah Arnott and the Royal College of Physicians' John Britton.

We have a similar group of e-cig hypocrites in the US (who now admit they save lots of lives, but who are lobbying for FDA to ban e-cigs, and/or give the e-cig industry to Big Tobacco).

 

[Jake6731]

Bill
I saw it here:
http://nicotinepolicy.net/commentar...no-aid-over-the-counter-nrt-worse-than-no-aid

New research presented by Jamie Brown and colleagues at the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco conference, 20th Annual Meeting, held in Seattle on Saturday, February 8, 2014 shows that smokers wishing to quit who used electronic-cigarettes had best outcomes.