{"id":29825,"date":"2025-10-30T09:53:26","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T09:53:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/?p=29825"},"modified":"2025-10-30T09:53:32","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T09:53:32","slug":"smokers-who-vape-quit-more-often-across-all-flavours-and-devices-new-path-study-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/post\/smokers-who-vape-quit-more-often-across-all-flavours-and-devices-new-path-study-finds\/","title":{"rendered":"Smokers who vape quit more often across all flavours and devices, new PATH study finds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Cigarette quit rates among vapers rose sharply between 2014 and 2021.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The increase was seen across all vape flavours &#8211; menthol, fruit, and mixed &#8211; except tobacco flavour.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Quit rates rose for every device type, from disposables to tanks and cartridges.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Younger adults (18 to 24) were most likely to quit cigarettes, but increased rates were seen across all age groups.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Smokers who also use vapes are quitting cigarettes at much higher rates than those who don\u2019t &#8211; regardless of what flavour or device they use &#8211; according to a major new U.S. study published in Nicotine &amp; Tobacco Research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/ntr\/advance-article-abstract\/doi\/10.1093\/ntr\/ntaf213\/8292631?login=false\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The study<\/a>, led by Dr Karin Kasza at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, tracked cigarette smokers who used electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) between 2014 and 2021.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Drawing on data from the nationally representative Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study, researchers examined more than 3,000 adults to analyse trends in who successfully stopped smoking over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Quitting rates rising for all vapers<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The results show that people who vaped were increasingly likely to quit smoking. \u201cCigarette discontinuation rates increased for those who used menthol\/mint flavor ENDS, fruit\/sweet\/other flavor ENDS, any combination flavor ENDS, disposables, cartridge devices, and tanks,\u201d the authors wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Between 2014\/15 and 2021, smokers who used vapes saw their odds of quitting more than double or even triple compared with smokers who did not use vapes. Users of menthol or mint-flavoured vapes were three times more likely to stop smoking at follow-up, while those using fruit or sweet flavours were twice as likely. Quit rates rose for every device type, including disposables (odds ratio 3.38), cartridges (2.33), and tank systems (2.05).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The trend held true across age groups. Young adults aged 18 to 24 who vaped had the biggest gains (OR 3.29), while those 25 and older also saw significantly higher odds (1.83). The researchers concluded that the rising success of smokers who vape \u201cwas not specific to any ENDS flavor, ENDS device type, or age group examined here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Market changes may be driving the trend<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The study says the timing of the rise points to major shifts in the vaping marketplace, particularly the introduction of nicotine salt-based e-liquids in 2016, which allow higher nicotine delivery with smoother inhalation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the research couldn\u2019t directly measure nicotine salt use, the authors noted that <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cthe timing of the introduction of nicotine salt-based e-liquids to the U.S. market\u2026 aligns with the hypothesis that nicotine salt-based ENDS products may have contributed to the rise in cigarette discontinuation rates among adults who use ENDS.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>In short, newer vapes may simply work better for smokers trying to switch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Not just fruity flavours<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The study also challenges the assumption that only sweet or youth-oriented flavours help adults quit. While tobacco flavour didn\u2019t show early gains, its quit rate caught up later in the study. Between 2018\/19 and 2021, even tobacco-flavoured vapes were linked to higher quit rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because quit rates rose across all flavours and device types, the researchers suggest that flavour bans may have less<em> <\/em>impact on adult smoking cessation than previously assumed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They propose that other factors &#8211; such as improvements in nicotine delivery, product design, or the wider availability of nicotine salt-based e-liquids &#8211; are more likely to explain the overall rise in quitting among adult vapers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Limitations<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The researchers acknowledged some limitations, including not accounting for local flavour bans, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the shift to phone interviews in 2021.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some subgroups, such as young users of tobacco-flavoured vapes, were small, reducing statistical power. Still, the analysis was robust, using weighted longitudinal data. This means the same group of adults was tracked over several years and the results were statistically adjusted to reflect the U.S. adult population. This approach allows the findings to represent national trends more accurately and reveal true changes in smoking behaviour over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Mounting evidence that vapes help smokers quit<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Overall, the study adds to mounting evidence that vapes are helping U.S. smokers to quit at higher rates &#8211; and that this trend extends across the entire vaping landscape.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2013\/14, vapers and non-vapers had similar quit rates (16 per cent). By 2018\/19 to 2021, that gap had widened: 31 per cent of smokers who vaped had quit, compared with just 20 per cent of smokers who didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>The authors concluded: \u201cIncreasing trends in cigarette discontinuation rates among adults who used ENDS was not specific to any ENDS flavor, ENDS device type, or age group examined here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Australian trial reinforces findings<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The U.S. data aligns with a major <a href=\"https:\/\/www.acpjournals.org\/doi\/10.7326\/ANNALS-24-03531\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Australian clinical trial<\/a> published in July in the Annals of Internal Medicine, which found that vapourised nicotine products (VNPs) helped nearly three times as many smokers quit compared with nicotine gum or lozenges and with fewer side effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The randomised controlled trial, one of the largest of its kind, followed more than 1,000 socially disadvantaged smokers over 12 months. Continuous six-month abstinence was achieved by 28.4 per cent of participants using nicotine vapes, compared with 9.6 per cent using traditional nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). The difference was statistically robust, with over 99 per cent probability that vaping is superior to gums and lozenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Vaping\u2019s potential to reduce health differences<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Researchers said the results highlight vaping\u2019s potential to reduce health disparities, especially among low-income and Indigenous populations disproportionately affected by smoking. The vaping group reported fewer side effects than the NRT group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Experts say the findings should prompt policymakers to maintain adult access to regulated vaping products, warning that restrictions such as the UK\u2019s new disposable vape ban risk driving consumers toward illicit markets or back to cigarettes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe science shows vaping can be life-changing for adult smokers, but only if access to regulated products is protected,\u201d said Andrew Koh, head of brand and communications at AIRSCREAM Group. \u201cIt\u2019s vital we strike a balance, safeguarding youth while ensuring adults aren\u2019t pushed back to tobacco or the black market.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Smokers who also use vapes are quitting cigarettes at much higher rates than those who don\u2019t &#8211; regardless of what flavour or device they use &#8211; according to a major new U.S. study published in Nicotine &amp; Tobacco Research. The study, led&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":990002,"featured_media":29826,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[259,257],"tags":[367,186],"slider":[],"class_list":["post-29825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science","category-news","tag-interviews","tag-nicotine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/990002"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29825"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29825\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29833,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29825\/revisions\/29833"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29826"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29825"},{"taxonomy":"slider","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/slider?post=29825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}