The UK is renowned for its relatively positive stance towards the use of e-cigarettes as smoking cessation tools. The current study aimed to determine whether supplying smokers wishing to quit with free e-cigarettes, was effective at helping them achieve their goal.
The study titled, “The Value of Providing Smokers with Free E-Cigarettes: Smoking Reduction and Cessation Associated with the Three-Month Provision to Smokers of a Refillable Tank-Style E-Cigarette,” was published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
The researchers explained that to date very few studies looked into the rates of smoking cessation and smoking reduction as associated with the provision of free electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) to smokers.
To conduct the current study, the Blu Pro e-cigarette was given to a convenience sample of 72 adult smokers, with the aim of assisting them in quitting cigarettes or reduce the amount, over a 90-day period.
Subsequently, the rates of smoking abstinence and daily smoking patterns were assessed at baseline, 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days.
36.5% were abstinent after 90 days
The researchers found that following 90 days, the complete abstinence rate was 36.5%, up from 0% at baseline. The frequency of daily smoking was reduced from 88.7% to 17.5%, and the median consumption of cigarettes per day dropped from 15 cigarettes to 5. Similarly, the median number of days per month that participants smoked, was also reduced from 30 to 13, after 90 days.
“On the basis of these results, there may be value in smoking cessation services and other services ensuring that smokers are provided with e-cigarettes at zero or minimal costs for at least a short period of time,” concluded the researchers.
Vapesourcing Opinion:
In the early stage of quitting smoking, quitters have a strong desire to smoke. If there is no substitute for other tobacco products, it is difficult to succeed. Using electronic cigarettes instead of cigarettes can improve the efficiency and probability of success in quitting smoking.
