A recent Canadian study has shed light on the use of nicotine vaping products in smoking cessation, revealing significant implications for both consumers and policymakers.
Published in the journal Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada, the research evaluated data from 1,771 adults who smoke or recently quit, offering insights into quit attempts made between 2020 and 2022.
Approximately 36.5 per cent of participants reported attempting to quit smoking within the two-year period, with nearly one in five (19.4%) incorporating vaping products into their efforts. Younger adults (aged 18–39) were more likely to use vapes compared to older age groups, and prefilled pods or cartridges were the most preferred device type. Among the wide array of e-liquid flavours, fruit flavours stood out as the top choice, appealing to nearly 40 per cent of vape users.
Interestingly, the study also revealed that over two-thirds (68%) of those who used nicotine vaping products during their quit attempts opted for flavours that would fall under potential bans proposed by Health Canada. These regulations, aimed at restricting flavours to tobacco, mint, and menthol to curb youth vaping, could inadvertently reduce the appeal of vaping products for adult smokers seeking alternatives, the study noted.
“We found that most of the adults who attempted to quit smoking and used an NVP (nicotine vaping product) were using a variety of flavours that would be restricted under the Health Canada vaping flavour ban policy. Careful consideration should be given to the effects of policies that would ban appealing flavoured NVP products from the market,” researchers wrote.
The research is particularly timely as the UK Parliament considers the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which includes proposals to restrict vape flavours.
Recently, vape retailer VPZ has warned that any movement towards a flavour restriction would not only disproportionally harm ex-smokers but also UK’s vape users who could be pushed towards more harmful nicotine alternatives.
Earlier this month, a study by the researchers from University College London has revealed that e-cigarettes are the most commonly used smoking cessation aid in England, associated with the highest success rates for quitting.
