According to the ‘most comprehensive study’ on the subject.
Research led by Queen Mary University of London and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) suggests there is no sign that e-cigarette products promote smoking.
He also found some evidence that these products compete with cigarettes. As a result, it may be hastening the extinction of smoking – however, this finding is only tentative. The researchers said more data are needed to determine the size of this effect.
The study compared the time course of e-cigarette use and sales with that of smoking rates and cigarette sales in countries with historically similar smoking trajectories but different current e-cigarette regulations.
For example, he compared the United Kingdom and the United States with Australia, where the sale of e-cigarettes containing nicotine is banned. It also looked at interactions between smoking and nicotine alternatives that are popular in other countries. This included the use of oral nicotine pouches in Sweden.
The researchers note that because people may use both cigarettes and alternative products, the prevalence figures for these products overlap. As a result, longer time periods are needed to determine the effects of exclusive use of new products on smoking prevalence.
They also say indications that alternative nicotine products are replacing tobacco should be confirmed when more data are available.
Alleviates anxiety
Professor Peter Hajek, director of the health and lifestyle research unit, Wolfson Institute for Population Health, at Queen Mary University of London, said: “The results of this study alleviate concerns that access to e-cigarettes and other nicotine products with low risk promote smoking.
“There’s no sign of that, and there’s some sign that they actually compete against cigarettes, but more data over a longer period of time is needed to determine the magnitude of this effect.”
Professor Lion Shahab, co-author and co-director of UCL’s Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group, added: ‘This comprehensive analysis provides reassurance that countries that have adopted a more progressive stance on e-cigarettes have not seen a detrimental impact on smoking rates. tobacco. .
“If anything, the results suggest that – more likely than not – e-cigarettes have displaced harmful cigarettes in those countries by now. However, as this is a fast-moving field, with new technologies entering the market every year, it remains important to continue monitoring national data.’
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