The study titled Electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation: a randomised controlled trial, was published on The Lancet earlier this month. The research was conducted between Sept 6, 2011, and July 5, 2013 by recruiting 657 adult smokers who wanted to quit. 289 of the study participants were given nicotine containing e-cigarettes, 73 were given placebo e-cigarettes (containing no nicotine), and 295 were given nicotine patches, from 1 week before quitting until 12 weeks afterwards, whilst also being offered low intensity support via telephone.

E-cigarettes have a higher success rate than Nicotine Patches

7.3% of the participants on e-cigs remained abstinent from smoking for the whole six months, as opposed to 5.8% of the patch group.
When the researchers measured smoking abstinence success after a period of seven days, they found that 61 e-cig users (21%), had managed to not smoke, as opposed to 46 (15.6%) of the patch group.

The primary results were collected after six months from quitting date, and indicated that 21 of the participants on electronic cigarettes, which equated to 7.3%, had been continuously abstinent from smoking for the whole six months as opposed to only 17 (5.8%), in the patch group. Additionally, 3 participants on the non-nicotine containing e-cigarettes, 4·1%, also managed to quit.

“E-cigarettes, with or without nicotine, were modestly effective at helping smokers to quit, with similar achievement of abstinence as with nicotine patches, and few adverse events.” Study Abstract

The research also indicated that even when some of the participants failed to quit, they at least smoked fewer cigarettes when using e-cigs in parallel, hence still minimizing some of the risks associated with smoking. “E-cigarettes, with or without nicotine, were modestly effective at helping smokers to quit, with similar achievement of abstinence as with nicotine patches, and few adverse events,” read the study abstract.

E-cigarettes are smokers’ preferred cessation aides

An article published on White Cloud earlier this month, pointed out that interestingly, the lead study author, Dr. Christopher Bullen, was struck by the fact that the study participants were more enthusiastic to try quitting via electronic cigarettes than with the help of Nicotine Patches. This fact goes inline with what other studies have found: e-cigarettes are smokers’ preferred smoking cessation tools as they mimic the action of smoking, hence make their transition from smoking to not smoking an easier one.

Regular vapers have the highest smoking cessation success rates

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Jen Dowie
Jen Dowie
7 years ago

Pfft. We vapers could have told you that. Why not actually start asking us, instead of using money on studies where the results are already known within our community?

Rebecca Taylor
Rebecca Taylor
Reply to  Jen Dowie
7 years ago

Because anecdote doesn’t convince decision makers in the same way as a properly conducted study does. They don’t carry the same weight or accuracy.

Fergus Mason
Fergus Mason
Reply to  Rebecca Taylor
7 years ago

Properly conducted studies didn’t convince very many fucking MEPs, did they? They just distorted the results to support what they wanted to do.

Mark Stave
Mark Stave
7 years ago

Old news