A Longitudinal Analysis of Electronic Cigarette Use

Although electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes or electronic nicotine delivery systems) are aggressively promoted as smoking cessation aids, studies of their effectiveness for cessation have been unconvincing. One randomized trial comparing e-cigarettes with and without nicotine with a nicotine patch found no differences in 6-month quit rates. Population-based, longitudinal studies have also not shown associations between e-cigarette use and quitting. A longitudinal, international study found that, although 85% of smokers who used e-cigarettes reported using them to quit, e-cigarette users did not quit more frequently than nonusers (P = .52). Among US quitline callers, ecigarette users were less likely to have quit at 7 months than nonusers.

Research Letter
Editor's Note

Below, is the coverage of this study in Nature, which includes Peter Hajek’s comments on the author’s conclusions. http://www.nature.com/news/electronic-cigarettes-don-t-aid-quitting-study-says-1.14918?WT.ec_id=NEWS-20140325