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Original research
Association between electronic cigarette use and smoking cessation in the European Union in 2017: analysis of a representative sample of 13 057 Europeans from 28 countries
  1. Konstantinos E Farsalinos1,2,
  2. Anastasia Barbouni2
  1. 1 Cardiology, Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center, Kallithea, Greece
  2. 2 Department of Public and Administrative Health, National School of Public Health, Athens, Greece
  1. Correspondence to Dr Konstantinos E Farsalinos, Cardiology, Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center, Kallithea 26500, Greece; kfarsalinos{at}gmail.com

Abstract

Objectives To examine the association between electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use and smoking cessation in the European Union (EU) in 2017 according to e-cigarette use frequency and smoking cessation duration.

Design Cross-sectional survey of EU citizens, representative of the population (Special Eurobarometer 458). Weighted proportions (95% CI) and adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) were calculated.

Setting EU.

Participants 13 057 EU citizens aged ≥15 years (6904 current and 6153 former smokers).

Results Current daily e-cigarette use was reported by 2.4% (1.8%–3.1%) of current and 3.3% (2.5%–4.2%) of former smokers (p=0.002), while former daily use was reported by 5.6% (4.7%–6.8%) and 1.9% (1.3%–2.7%), respectively (p<0.001). More than half of all former smokers had quit for >10 years. Current daily e-cigarette use was rare among former smokers of >10 years (0.2%, 0.1%–0.6%) and was more prevalent in former smokers of ≤2 and 3–5 years (12.9%, 9.1%–17.9% and 9.0%, 5.8%–13.7%, respectively). Compared with never use, current daily e-cigarette use was associated with being a former smoker of ≤2 (aPR 4.96, 95% CI 3.57 to 6.90) and 3–5 years (aPR 3.20, 95% CI 2.10 to 4.87). Former daily e-cigarette use was associated with being a former smoker of ≤2 years (aPR 1.96, 95% CI 1.21 to 3.12). Current daily e-cigarette use was negatively associated with being a former smoker of 5–10 and >10 years.

Conclusions Current daily e-cigarette use in the EU in 2017 was rare among former smokers of >10 years and was positively associated with recent (≤5 years) smoking cessation. Former daily e-cigarette use was also positively associated with recent (≤2 years) smoking cessation.

  • electronic nicotine delivery devices
  • smoking topography
  • cessation
  • harm reduction

https://doi.org/10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2019-055190

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors KF conceived the study. KF and AB performed the analysis and co-authored the manuscript. Both authors read and approved the final manuscript.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests During the last 5 years, KF has published two studies funded by the non-profit association American E-Liquid Manufacturing Standards Association(AEMSA)

      and one study funded by the non-profit association Tennessee Smoke-Free Association.

    • Patient consent for publication Not required.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

    • Data availability statement Data may be obtained from a third party and are not publicly available.