U.S. Study: Majority of E-Cigarette Users are Current Smokers

Data from a recent study have indicated that one in twenty U.S adults are currently using e-cigarettes, and that over half of these are under 35 years old and current smokers.

Diane Caruana

August 29, 2018

The study which was published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, indicated that one in three e-cigarette users are vaping daily, and that smokers are more likely to vape. “Electronic cigarette use is also closely associated with other high-risk behaviors,” said senior study author Dr. Michael Blaha.

“The most common pattern of use in the U.S. is dual use, i.e. current use of both traditional cigarettes and electronic cigarettes,” added Blaha, who is the director of clinical research for the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease in Baltimore.

Most smokers turn to vaping in order to quit smoking

The results indicated that only 1.4% of the study respondents who had never smoked traditional cigarettes used e-cigarettes, while 7.6% percent of ex-smokers and 14.4% of current smokers did. “Current smokers and recent quitters are the groups in which e-cig use is highest,” said Dr. Nancy Rigotti, director of the Tobacco Research and Treatment Center at Massachusetts General Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

“Current smokers and recent quitters are the groups in which e-cig use is highest.” Dr. Nancy Rigotti, Director, Tobacco Research and Treatment Center, Massachusetts General Hospital

In line with these findings, previous studies have also indicated that e-cigarette use is mostly prevalent amongst former smokers who would have turned to the devices in order to stop smoking. Research released by the American Heart Association (AHA) last year, and presented at the organization’s Scientific Sessions 2017, indicated that when compared to tobacco users, vapers are more likely to be current or former cigarette smokers.

UK study indicated that distributing e-cigs may help smokers quit

Additionally, a recently published UK study which investigated the success rate of smoking cessation, via the free distribution of e-cigarettes, indicated it may be beneficial for smokers to be provided with e-cigarettes at zero or minimal costs for at least a short period of time in order to help them switch to the proven safer alternatives.

The U.S. study was funded by the American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, which is in turn financed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

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