This news comes from the most in-depth survey ever taken. More than six million smokers in Europe have quit smoking and more than nine million have reduced cigarette consumption by using vaping products. This study was published in the journal “Addiction.”
Scientists analyzed data from the 2014 Eurobarometer survey on smoking and the use of electronic cigarettes. The study findings revealed that 48.5 million Europeans have never tried electronic cigarettes, but 7.5 million are current users. Among those current users, 35.1% have quit smoking while an additional 32.2% have reduced smoking consumption.
“These are probably the highest rates of smoking cessation and reduction ever observed in such a large population,” said Dr. Konstantinos Farsalino, the principal investigator of the study. “The European Union data shows that the use of electronic cigarettes seems to have a positive impact on public health for two reasons:
- High-smoking cessation and reduction rates are observed, and
- Electronic cigarettes use is largely confined to smokers (current and former) and minimal use by non-smokers.”
There is a lot of controversy over the use of electronic cigarettes by non-smokers, but research is reassuring. There has been some “experimentation” by non-smokers, but regular use is minimal.
According to the American Vaping Association, for more than 7 years, tobacco activists have loudly proclaimed that there is no evidence that vapor products help smokers quit. As the evidence supporting the efficacy of vaping has piled up, these activists have continually pointed to skewed studies to prove their faulty data.
In 2014, a similar population-level survey was performed in the United States. That study found that 2.4 million people had quit smoking with vapor products. In 2016, that number has probably risen past 3.5 or 4 million quitters in the U.S. alone.
Learn more about how you can quit smoking, by visiting a local vape store.
