A examine by Queen Mary College of London signifies that e-cigarettes and different nicotine options don’t encourage smoking and should even compete with conventional cigarettes, hastening their decline. Evaluating completely different nations, the examine suggests a hyperlink between the rise of those options and a lower in smoking, however additional analysis is required for conclusive proof.
Essentially the most complete examine thus far investigating whether or not e-cigarettes analyzing if e-cigarettes function a gateway into or out of smoking, reveals that, on a broader scale, e-cigarettes and comparable various nicotine supply programs don’t encourage smoking.
This examine, carried out by Queen Mary College of London and funded by the Nationwide Institute of Well being and Care Analysis (NIHR), additionally means that these merchandise could be accelerating the decline of smoking by competing with conventional cigarettes. Nonetheless, this commentary is preliminary, and extra knowledge is required to determine the magnitude of this impression.
Research Methodology and Comparisons
The examine in contrast the time course of use and gross sales of digital cigarettes with that of smoking charges and cigarette gross sales in nations with traditionally comparable smoking trajectories, however differing present e-cigarette rules.
It in contrast the UK and america with Australia, the place gross sales of nicotine-containing e-cigarettes are banned. It additionally checked out interactions between smoking and nicotine options which can be in style in different nations, together with the usage of oral nicotine pouches in Sweden and merchandise that warmth reasonably than burn tobacco in Japan and South Korea the place they’re broadly used.
Findings and Implications
The decline in people who smoke in Australia has been slower than within the UK, and slower than in each the UK and the USA amongst younger folks and in decrease socioeconomic teams. The decline in cigarette gross sales has additionally accelerated quicker within the UK than in Australia. The rise in heated tobacco product gross sales in Japan was accompanied by a major lower in cigarette gross sales.
Researchers observe that as a result of folks could use each cigarettes and various merchandise, prevalence figures for these merchandise overlap, and so longer time durations are wanted to find out any results of unique use of the brand new merchandise on smoking prevalence. In addition they say that the indications that various nicotine merchandise are changing smoking – particularly the dimensions of this impact – must be confirmed when extra knowledge develop into out there. As additional prevalence and gross sales knowledge emerge, the analyses will develop into extra informative.
Professional Opinions
Professor Peter Hajek, Director of Well being and Life-style Analysis Unit, Wolfson Institute of Inhabitants Well being, Queen Mary College of London, stated: “The outcomes of this examine alleviate the priority that entry to e-cigarettes and different low-risk nicotine merchandise promotes smoking. There isn’t a signal of that, and there are some indicators that they actually compete in opposition to cigarettes, however extra knowledge over an extended time interval are wanted to find out the dimensions of this impact.”
Co-author, Professor Lion Shahab, Co-Director of the UCL Tobacco and Alcohol Analysis Group, stated: “This complete evaluation gives reassurance that nations which have adopted a extra progressive stance in the direction of e-cigarettes haven’t seen a detrimental impression on smoking charges. If something, the outcomes recommend that – extra seemingly than not – e-cigarettes have displaced dangerous cigarettes in these nations up to now. Nonetheless, as that is fast-moving discipline, with new applied sciences getting into the market yearly, it stays vital to proceed monitoring nationwide knowledge.”
Professor Brian Ferguson, Director of the Public Well being Analysis Programme (NIHR) commented: “The preliminary findings from this examine are priceless however no agency conclusions might be drawn but. Extra analysis is required on this space to grasp additional the impression that various nicotine supply merchandise, corresponding to e-cigarettes, might need on smoking charges.”
Reference: “Results of reduced-risk nicotine-delivery merchandise on smoking prevalence and cigarette gross sales: an observational examine” by Francesca Pesola, Anna Phillips-Waller, Emma Beard, Lion Shahab, David Sweanor, Martin Jarvis and Peter Hajek, September 2023, Public Well being Analysis.
DOI: 10.3310/RPDN7327
This analysis was funded by the Nationwide Institute for Well being and Care Analysis.
