E-Cigarettes Boost Tobacco Use Abstinence With Smoking Cessation Counseling
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Feb. 16, 2024 -- The addition of electronic cigarettes to standard smoking-cessation counseling results in greater abstinence from tobacco use among smokers than smoking-cessation counseling alone, according to a study published in the Feb. 15 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Reto Auer, M.D., from Bern University Hospital in Switzerland, and colleagues randomly assigned adults who were smoking at least five tobacco cigarettes per day and who wanted to set a quit date to an intervention group (622 participants; free e-cigarettes and e-liquids, standard-of-care smoking-cessation counseling, and optional [not free] nicotine-replacement therapy) or to a control group (624 participants), who received standard counseling and a voucher.
The researchers found that 28.9 percent of participants in the intervention group had validated continuous abstinence from tobacco smoking versus 16.3 percent in the control group (relative risk, 1.77). In the intervention group, 59.6 percent of participants abstained from smoking in the seven days before the six-month visit versus 38.5 percent in the control group. Compared with the control group, fewer in the intervention group abstained from any nicotine (33.7 versus 20.1 percent). Adverse events occurred in 43.7 percent of the intervention group and 36.7 percent in the control group, while 4.0 and 5.0 percent, respectively, had serious adverse events.
"Electronic nicotine-delivery systems plus standard counseling may be a viable option for tobacco smokers who want to abstain from smoking without necessarily abstaining from nicotine but may be less appropriate for those who want to abstain from both tobacco and nicotine," the authors write.
Two authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
![](/img/logo/vendor/healthday-logo.png)
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted February 2024
Read this next
Smoking + RA With Obstructive Pattern Shows Less Spirometry Decline
TUESDAY, June 25, 2024 -- Patients who have smoked with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and an obstructive pattern may be a unique phenotype, according to a study published online June...
Varenicline, Nicotine-Containing E-Cigarettes Help in Quitting Smoking
WEDNESDAY, June 19, 2024 -- Varenicline and nicotine-containing electronic cigarettes (ECs) are both effective in helping individuals in quitting smoking conventional cigarettes...
Teens, Young Adults Modify Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems
MONDAY, June 17, 2024 -- Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) are aware of and engage in modifications of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), according to a study...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.