Smoking is the leading cause of early and preventable death, killing eight million people globally every year.
The world is on a mission to stamp out the deadly habit – but most countries are far behind their targets of becoming ‘smoke free’.
And yet, there is also a race to outlaw the most powerful tool there is for helping smokers quit: vapes.
A new study, published in the journal JAMA Network, has found that smokers are almost TWICE as likely to successfully quit cigarettes if they switch to vapes than if they go ‘cold turkey’.
Vapes most popular stop smoking aid
The report analysed data from adult smokers in England between 2006 and 2024 who had all reported quitting smoking or attempting to quit in the previous year. It revealed that vapes have been the most popular tool among smokers to help them stop since 2013.
Between 2023 and 2024, vapes were by far the most commonly used stop-smoking aids, chosen by 40.2 per cent of those surveyed. This was followed by non-prescription Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) at 17.3 per cent.
Websites were used by 4.6 per cent and prescription NRT by 4.5 per cent. Face-to-face behavioural support was sought by 2.2 per cent, the drug Varenicline was used by 1.1 per cent, and heated tobacco products (HTP) by just 0.7 per cent.
Meanwhile, 40.8 per cent of quit attempts were unaided.
Vapes give quitters highest odds of success
Most importantly, the study found that smokers who switched to vapes had the highest odds of successfully kicking the habit.
Those who chose vapes to help them stop smoking were almost twice (1.95 times) as likely to stay off the cigarettes than those who used no aids.
But non-prescription NRT – the second most popular aid – made no significant difference compared to using nothing. Those who chose this type of NRT were just 1.03 times as likely to successfully quit as those who had no help.
The study says: “While e-cigarette use was associated with higher odds of quit success after adjustment for use of other aids and covariates.. use of over-the-counter NRT was not.”
Other aids that gave smokers increased odds of successfully quitting over using nothing – websites, prescription NRT, Varenicline and HTPs – were used by less than five per cent of people combined.
Face-to-face behavioral support was associated with higher odds of quit success among those from less advantaged but not more advantaged socioeconomic positions.
Under one fifth of quit attempts were successful
The study says: “This survey study including 25,094 smokers aged at least 16 years found that e-cigarettes were both the most commonly used cessation aid (used in 40.2 per cent of quit attempts in 2023-2024) and associated with the highest odds of successful cessation.
“By contrast, other aids found to be associated with increased odds of success in quitting smoking were used in less than five per cent of quit attempts.”
Overall, under fifth (17.7 per cent) of participants reported success in quitting smoking. The researchers said the findings show quit rates of smoking could be improved by pointing smokers towards the most effective methods, such as vaping.
“This cross-sectional study found that while a range of effective smoking cessation aids are available in England, many people tried to quit using less effective forms of support or none at all,” the study says. “Quit success rates could be improved by encouraging people to use more effective methods.”
The study used data from the Smoking Toolkit Study, a household survey conducted monthly from 2006 to 2024 in England, and has been approved by the University College London Research Ethics Committee.
Off track for meeting ‘smoke free’ targets
England, which plans to impose heavy restrictions on both smoking and vaping this year, is way off track to meet its 2030 smoke-free target.
The Khan Review, published in June 2022, found the UK country will miss its target by at least seven years. The most deprived areas of England are not expected to meet the target until after 2050.
Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) won’t meet its target to be ‘smoke free’ for another 75 years.
Analysis from global research body Smoke Free Sweden recently revealed that at the current trajectory, the EU won’t meet its 2040 target until 2100 – an astonishing six decades behind schedule.
