Khaberni - A new review found that the relationship between using electronic cigarettes and quitting smoking is not fixed or simple as some previous studies suggest, with results varying according to the design of each study.
The review explains that previous studies reached mixed results regarding the effectiveness of electronic cigarettes in helping smokers quit, with some studies finding a positive correlation, while others did not find this correlation, especially those focused on individuals with a genuine desire to quit smoking.
Traditional cigarette smoking, especially traditional cigarettes, continues to be widely prevalent and is the leading cause of preventable deaths worldwide. Although most smokers want to quit, achieving this remains a challenging task.
Conversely, electronic cigarettes have seen increasing spread since 2010, and their users are often current or former smokers, with rising use among younger age groups.
This data suggests that some smokers may turn to electronic cigarettes as an alternative to traditional cigarettes, whether to reduce smoking or as an attempt to quit.
However, the scientific debate is still ongoing regarding their effectiveness in helping smokers quit, partly because many reviews have not sufficiently differentiated between studies relying on the same database.
To address this issue, researchers conducted a comprehensive review of studies using data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH), a long-term study tracking tobacco and nicotine use in the United States.
The researchers analyzed the characteristics of 38 studies, including their design, follow-up duration, definition of electronic cigarette use, and methods of measuring smoking cessation.
The results revealed four main findings; the first being that 63.2% of the studies observed a correlation between using electronic cigarettes and an increased likelihood of quitting smoking over a period ranging from one to three years, while other studies did not find this correlation.
The absence of correlation does not necessarily mean ineffectiveness, as some studies compared electronic cigarettes with medically approved treatments like varenicline and bupropion, which made their results similar without a clear superiority.
The third conclusion was that daily use of electronic cigarettes was associated with better quitting outcomes compared to intermittent or irregular use.
Lastly, the results showed that the sample design significantly affects the outcomes; studies that included smokers without a prior intention to quit were more likely to show positive results compared to studies focused on those specifically seeking to quit.
In this context, the study's lead author, Shu Shu, said it is essential to be cautious when interpreting the results of individual studies and avoid generalizing conclusions without a comprehensive review of the data.
He added that "examining studies based on the same source collectively helps understand the full picture and assess the consistency of results more accurately."
The study was published in the Journal of Nicotine and Tobacco Research.
