A new study for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that e-cigarettes are the most popular smoking cessation tool among smokers.
The aim of the 26-month study of 15,943 smokers, published in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease last Thursday, was to determine which of ten available methods was the most effective at quitting smoking.
“Quitting smoking all at once (35.3%) and reducing the number of cigarettes smoked per day (62%) were the two most common methods,” the report said. The study also found that 74.7% of participants used more than one method to quit smoking. But what about secondary methods?
According to the data, “replacing cigarettes with e-cigarettes accounted for 35.3%, using nicotine patches or rare lozenges 25.4%, and switching directly to e-cigarettes accounted for 24.7%.”
This shows that despite being tightly regulated by the FDA, vaping products are still more popular with smokers looking to quit than the methods provided by the agency.
Why are e-cigarettes a popular choice?
This is no surprise to health professionals who have been praising the product. Vaping is considered an effective smoking cessation tool because the action of vaping closely resembles smoking, making the transition from smoking to non-smoking easier.
“Given the data showing that e-cigarettes are more commonly used to quit smoking than other FDA-approved methods, we need to conduct further research to ensure the safety and effectiveness of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation,” the CDA said. “There is no scientific evidence that e-cigarettes are effective for long-term smoking cessation. E-cigarettes are not considered by the FDA to be an approved smoking cessation method.”
However, most experts in the field do not accept the CDC's conclusion. There have been numerous studies showing that this product is not only safer than cigarettes, but is also being chosen by many countries around the world as a tool to quit smoking. In the UK, for example, the number of smokers has dropped to a record low.
“A previous CDC study found that more than a quarter of smokers who successfully quit smoking used e-cigarettes,” said Gregory Conley, president of the American Vaping Association (AVA). “This finding contradicts the outdated narrative that there is no evidence that vaping products help smokers quit.”
CDC forced to acknowledge popularity of e-cigarettes
“The CDC is finally recognizing the popularity of vaping,” said Brad Rodu, a professor of pharmacy at the University of Louisville and an anti-tobacco advocate. “This study documents that vaping is a popular smoking cessation method among Americans despite repeated misinformation campaigns that e-cigarettes are unsafe or do not work as they claim.”
Rodu added that the study made it clear, “Few smokers use the FDA-approved methods. Because smokers know that while these methods are safe, they are not as effective as they should be.”
Author: Diane Caruana - Vapingpost
Translator: The Vape Club
