VAPES containing nicotine are more effective for quitting smoking than nicotine lozenges and gum among adults experiencing social disadvantage, according to researchers from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) at UNSW Sydney.
Adults from less privileged backgrounds are more likely than other social groups to smoke and typically have a harder time quitting, the study team noted, and hence suffer the most from the health and social impacts caused by tobacco.
The team recruited more than 1,000 adults who smoked daily, were willing to attempt quitting, and were receiving a government pension or allowance (which acted as an indicator for social disadvantage).
Participants were randomly allocated to receive an eight-week supply of either vaping devices and flavoured e-liquids, or NRT in the form of lozenges or gum.
All received text message support.
After six months, 28.4% of the vaping group had quit compared to 9.6% in the NRT group.
“Even after accounting for individual differences within a socially disadvantaged sample, our analysis found quit rates were superior for the vaping group compared to NRT irrespective of age, gender, nicotine dependence and recent diagnosis or treatment for mental health disorder,” said study lead Associate Professor Ryan Courtney, Head of the Tobacco Research Group at NDARC.
The study was designed to mimic the real world by giving participants a choice of vaping device and flavour, which was considered a key component to its success.
“We believe treatment choice in the vaping group, with the option of two different device types and three e-liquid flavours, paired with an encouraging and non-judgemental text messaging program, supported people to quit smoking and contributed to high abstinence rates,” A/Prof Courtney said.
The study is also important as it used nicotine pod devices, which are the most widely prescribed in Australia due to their low risk of accidental or intentional poisoning, noted study co-author Professor Nicholas Zwar, Chair of the Expert Advisory Group for the Royal Australian College of GPs Smoking Cessation Guidelines.
More than half of those who successfully quit were still using the provided vape product at the time of follow-up, with researchers noting that they may need support to stay vape-free in the longer term.
“People who switch from smoking to vaping should ultimately aim to stop vaping too once they feel confident that they won’t relapse back to smoking, as the long-term health effects of vaping itself are unknown,” A/Prof Courtney said.
“It’s never too late to quit and vaping products are a further tool in the tobacco treatment toolbox, but more work is needed to support general practitioners, pharmacists and Quitlines when providing patient care regarding vapes,” he concluded.
Read the study HERE. KB
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