Vapers could encourage smokers to quit: study

FRIDAY, November 16, 2018 (HealthDay News) – Could vapers have a positive influence on smokers?

A new study suggests that this is the case: smokers who spent more time with people who used electronic cigarettes were more likely to try to quit.

The study included more than 13,000 smokers in England. Nearly 26% of them said they regularly spend time with electronic cigarette users. About 32% of this group attempted to quit smoking in the past year, while just under 27% of those who do not regularly spend time with consumers of e-cigarettes revealed the results.

This means that smokers who regularly spent time with users of e-cigarettes (vapers) were about 20% more likely to be highly motivated to quit and have recently attempted to quit, according to University researchers College London.

"It is becoming increasingly common for smokers to come in contact with vapers, and some fear that this will" renormalize "smoking in England and not hinder the motivation of smokers to quit smoking," he said. Sarah Jackson, lead author of the study. She works at the Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care of the University.

"Our results have found no evidence that spending time with vapers discourages smokers from quitting, which should help alleviate concerns about the broader impact of e-cigarettes on public health." Jackson added in a press release issued by a university.

A key factor in the findings "may be that smokers who are regularly exposed to the use of the electronic cigarette by others are more likely to use the electronic cigarette themselves," he said. Jackson.

The study, funded by Cancer Research UK, was published on November 13 in the journal BMC Medicine.

According to Kruti Shrotri, a tobacco control specialist at Cancer Research UK, "there is no evidence yet as to whether e-cigarettes can make tobacco normal, so it is encouraging that mixing with actually motivating smokers to stop smoking. "

And, Shrotri added, "as the number of people using e-cigarettes to quit increases, we hope smokers who contact them are encouraged to quit."

More information

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have more to quit.