Experimentation With Vapes Help Smokers Quit

Being able to experiment with different types of vapes is important to help people quit smoking according to a new study.

This study, which was led by researchers from the University of East Anglia, involved giving out free e-cigarette starter kits in hospital emergency departments to people who smoked.

A total of 1,010 daily smokers were involved, of which, 505 were given free vape starter kits.  The others were given ‘usual care’, which is written information about locally available stop-smoking services.

After 6 months, one in four of those given a free starter kit had quit smoking whether they intended to or not – more than twice the number who quit in the other group.

Of the quitters, more than a third of those given the starter kit went to experiment with different devices bought online or in stores.

There is a school of thought that vapes should only be on prescription, said study lead Dr Emma Ward. But, she said, we have found that people quit in many different ways and that they need to be given the support to find the way that works for them.

Vape satisfaction is key to quitting

A third of the quitters experimented with different devices; some others managed to quit smoking soon after being given the free vape, while others used both cigarettes and vapes together for a period, taking over a month to quit.

 “Satisfaction with vaping was important for success with quitting smoking, but personal motivation and being in a supportive environment was also significant factors,” Ward said.

The UK NHS (National Health Service) already recognises the need for diversity of choice for smokers wanting to quit.  The NHS advise to smokers wanting to try vaping is that their first step should be to find the right kit. 

The trial, which was run over 30 months, was led by the Norwich Clinical Trials Unit at the University of East Anglia and took place across six hospitals.  The researchers hope that the initiative will be rolled out in hospitals across the country.

The results of this study are published in the Emergency Medicine Journal.