- A new study found vaping products are now widely used by UK Stop Smoking Services.
- In the detailed results, 27 out of 28 local authorities reported providing vapes to help smokers quit.
- Every service supplying vapes offered flavoured products, with fruit offered by all and reported as the most popular or most frequently supplied flavour.
- Among services reporting quit rates for both approaches, vaping-supported quit rates averaged 61.5 per cent, compared with 56.2 per cent for other support.
Fruit-flavoured vapes are now a major part of UK stop-smoking support, according to a new study of local authority services.
The research, published in Cureus, used Freedom of Information requests to examine how Stop Smoking Services are providing vaping products to smokers trying to quit.
The findings show that vapes are no longer a fringe option in smoking cessation. In the study’s detailed results, 27 out of 28 local authorities said their services provided vaping products to support smokers. None reported supplying disposable vapes.
Most services supplied open-system devices, such as refillable pod or tank products, rather than closed pods.
The study said the findings show that vaping products “are widely incorporated into UK SSS, with flavoured vaping products commonly included within cessation support pathways.”
Fruit flavours dominate
Flavours were central to the offer. All 27 services that provided vapes said they offered flavoured products. Fruit flavours were offered by every one of them. Mint or menthol and tobacco flavours were each offered by 26 services.
When services were asked which flavour was most popular or most commonly given out, fruit was clearly ahead.
Among the 19 services that provided usable information on flavour popularity or frequency of supply, 15 said fruit was the leading category. Tobacco was reported by three services. No service reported mint or menthol as the most popular or most frequently supplied flavour.
The study said: “The most commonly offered flavours were fruit (n = 27; 100%), mint/menthol (n = 26; 96.3%) and tobacco (n = 26; 96.3%).”
The finding is relevant because flavour restrictions remain one of the fiercest arguments in UK vaping policy. Supporters of tighter rules argue that sweet and fruit flavours appeal to young people. Harm reduction advocates argue that non-tobacco flavours help adult smokers move away from cigarettes.
This study doesn’t prove fruit flavours cause higher quit rates, but it does show that in real-world stop-smoking services, fruit flavours are being widely supplied to adult smokers as part of cessation support.
Higher reported quit rates with vapes
The study also compared provider-reported quit rates for vaping-supported quit attempts with other forms of stop-smoking support, such as nicotine replacement therapy or behavioural support.
Quit rates varied across services. For vaping products, reported quit rates ranged from 43 per cent to 77 per cent. For other forms of support, they ranged from 35 per cent to 81 per cent.
Among the 19 providers that reported quit rates for both vaping products and other support, average quit rates were 61.5 per cent for vaping products and 56.2 per cent for other support.
The study reported the difference as statistically significant, with a p value of 0.04.
Its authors concluded: “Among participating providers, vaping-supported pathways were associated with higher reported aggregate quit rates than other forms of support.”
These were provider-level, observational figures, not a randomised trial. The study didn’t track individual smokers or adjust for patient-level differences, so it can’t prove that vapes caused the higher quit rates.
But it does add to evidence that vaping is being used actively inside UK stop-smoking services, rather than only outside the health system.
Swap to Stop helped drive provision
The study also looked at the Government’s Swap to Stop scheme, which was designed to provide vaping starter kits to smokers alongside behavioural support.
Nineteen services said they used the scheme, while seven said they did not. All 19 services using Swap to Stop said the products they received were flavoured.
Fruit flavours were included by all of them, followed by mint or menthol and tobacco.
The study said the findings provide “insight into the implementation of the UK ‘Swap to Stop’ scheme” and support further research into vaping-supported stop-smoking approaches.
Some caution over the findings
The authors noted several limitations. The study was based on responses from selected local authorities and offers a snapshot of service provision in 2024, rather than a full picture of every stop-smoking service in the UK. Services also differed in how they provided other forms of support, which could include nicotine replacement therapy, behavioural support or a combination of both.
The study was funded by the UK Vaping Industry Association, and the writing of the paper was funded by Snusbolaget Norden AB, a subsidiary of HAYPP Group AB, which owns online retail platforms for smoke-free nicotine products.
The findings should therefore be read as real-world service data rather than proof that any single flavour or product type causes higher quit rates. What they do show is still significant – many UK stop-smoking services are supplying vapes directly, often through refillable devices, and fruit flavours appear to be the leading choice.
