A long-term study by the Italian University of Chieti-Pescara has examined the effectiveness of e-cigarettes as a means of quitting smoking. The team of nine scientists, including the renowned Professor Dr. Lamberto Manzoli, and the ISLSE working group, found out, among other things, that the e-cigarette can play an important role in sustainable weaning. Since the study lasted two years and is therefore one of the few long-term evaluations to date, we would like to present the procedure and the results in more detail.
Comparison of smokers, vapers and mixed users
The observational study analyzed the usage behavior and consumption of tobacco cigarettes and e-cigarettes over the two-year period. The researchers were interested in the effectiveness of using e-cigarettes in smoking cessation. The aim was to use the results to obtain facts about the extent to which e-cigarettes can make a useful contribution to smoking cessation. The team was looking for people between the ages of 30 and 75 who would volunteer. A total of 1,598 interested parties registered to take part in the study. Of these, 1,355 people met the admission criteria. In addition to the age range of 30 to 75 years, this included consumption of at least one cigarette per day to be defined as a smoker, at least 50 puffs of an e-cigarette per week of any type to be classified as a vaper, and people who both used. The defined goal was to determine which of the subjects were able to stop smoking permanently and maintained this over the period of the study. The participants were interviewed by the team over the two years in person, by telephone or via the Internet about their development.
The team of scientists categorized the participants into three groups:
Tobacco use group: This group started with 693 participants
E-cigarette use group: This group started with 343 participants
Mixed use group: This group started with 319 participants
E-cigarette and smoking cessation
During the two-year phase, the participants provided a self-assessment of their health before the start and at the end of the study. Carbon monoxide levels were sampled from participants who reported being tobacco free. Within the two years, participants in the different levels dropped out. The number of participants who dropped out because they completely stopped using both products did not differ much in the individual study groups and was under 20 percent everywhere. The percentage in the steamer group was still the highest. After two years, the scientists were able to evaluate the data of 229 e-cigarette users, 480 tobacco users and 223 double users – of which a total of 159 participants from all study groups stopped using both products completely.
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Key messages: Reduced smoking and improved health
The result of the study underlines that vaping is an effective alternative for all those who want to quit smoking permanently. The study group that was able to quit smoking the most sustainably in percentage terms was the group of e-cigarette users. Participants who continuously used mixed tobacco or switched from tobacco use to mixed use during the study documented a significant improvement in their health during the self-assessment. The researchers saw the reason for this as being that the study demonstrated that dual use does not increase the chances of quitting smoking and vaping, but it does support the reduction in general tobacco consumption.CAK can answer any questions about e-cigarette smoking cessation, we are always waiting for your contact.