A UK scheme to hand out free vapes to smokers has boosted the number who successfully quit, a new report has found.
The rate of people giving up smoking has risen from 64 per cent to 75 per cent after the kits were offered in Calderdale, Yorkshire, during a trial funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research.
Paul Lambert, Head of Services at Yorkshire Cancer Research said: “Evidence shows that vaping products are an effective method of supporting people to stop smoking, and the results from our programme in Calderdale clearly demonstrate that they have a crucial role to play in reducing smoking rates.
“The vape kits were particularly helpful for people who had almost given up trying to quit after using other methods. As a result of the charity’s funding and the success of the trial, Yorkshire Smokefree Calderdale now includes vape kits as part of its service.”
Yorkshire Smokefree Calderdale is a community stop-smoking service that provides a choice of group, telephone, or one-to-one support to quit smoking.
During the vaping trial, 1,110 people attempted to quit smoking through the service, with 407 people choosing to use a free vape kit either alone or in combination with Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT).
More than three quarters successfully quit
Of those who used vapes either on their own or alongside NRT, 314 people (77 per cent) who set themselves a target date to quit smoking were recorded as having successfully done so when tested four weeks later.
Bryan Hoyle, from Sowerby Bridge, successfully stopped smoking thanks to the vaping trial. He said he first started smoking when he was only seven years old and continued for 58 years.
After having a heart attack and being diagnosed with COPD, Bryan was referred to Smokefree Yorkshire Calderdale. He had previously attempted to stop smoking numerous times and had tried nicotine patches.
‘Like a switch being turned off’
“It’s like a switch in my brain has been turned off and I’m able to deal with what’s controlled me for all these years,” Bryan said. “No matter how long you have been smoking for, with the help of a specialist service you’re never too old to stop. If I can do it after nearly 60 years of smoking, anyone can.
“Even if you’ve tried quitting before and it hasn’t worked, with the right support you can swap to the right stop-smoking aid for you. I’m so grateful to both NHS Yorkshire Smokefree and Yorkshire Cancer Research for giving me that option.”
The percentage of people who successfully quit smoking was higher among people who used vaping alone (79 per cent), compared to people who chose nicotine replacement therapy (73 per cent) and people who chose only behavioural support (71 per cent). Vape kits also proved to be the most cost-effective option for the service.
Women more likely to use vapes to quit
Women were more likely to choose to use vapes to help them quit. Of those who used vaping products, 57 per cent were female and 43 per cent were male. Vapes were also most popular among people aged 55 to 59.
The trial was successful in helping people from disadvantaged communities quit smoking. Of those who signed up to quit using a vape kit, 45 per cent were living in a deprived area.
Of those who took part and provided feedback, 82 per cent said the offer of a vaping device encouraged them to seek support to quit smoking, and 96 per cent said they would recommend vaping as a way of stopping smoking.
Kate Dearden, MP for Halifax in Yorkshire, said: “Supporting a smoke free Yorkshire is essential to improving health outcomes. Tackling smoking—the leading preventable cause of cancer—is critical to reducing the region’s cancer rates.”
It comes after a similar scheme led to 3,562 smokers permanently switching to vaping in the Dorset area of England alone after just four weeks.
