USA : e-cigarettes, a serious alternative to tobacco

Developed in the early 2010s, the e-cigarette has slowly proven itself as a legitimate alternative to traditional cigarettes.  Especially in the USA.
According to recent data from the CDC, in 2016, the United States counted 7.8 million e-cigarette users — 4.5 million male users and 3.3 million female users.

However, data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) shows an overall decline of American e-cigarette users in the last few years. The study revealed a decrease of 500,000 e-cigarette users compared to 2015 numbers, and 1.1 million fewer users compared to 2014.

Yet these numbers can be misleading. The net number of e-cigarette users continues to increase amongst former smokers. It represents 34% of ex-smokers in 2016, compared to only 22% in 2014.

Using e-cigarettes to quit smoking

While there is no shortage of controversies in regards to tobacco alternatives, there are many studies demonstrating the effectiveness of e-cigarettes as a legitimate smoking deterrent. Data from the CDC, compiled by Brad Rodu, Professor of Medicine at the University of Louisville (Kentucky), only confirms this causal link.

In fact, 87% of former smokers that resorted to using an e-cigarette device stopped smoking altogether in the last five years.

Similarly, a study conducted by Daniel Givenco of the University of Colombia, and Christine Delneve at Rutgers School of Public Health, provides evidence for a strong correlation between the frequency of e-cigarette use quitting smoking. This study was published in Addictive Behaviors and was based on NHIS investigations carried out in the United States in 2014 and 2015.

Former smokers who smoke e-cigarettes daily are 3.18 times more likely to stop smoking than non e-cigarette smokers. Not surprisingly, the use of the e-cigarette amongst former smokers significantly reduces the risk of relapsing and returning to tobacco cigarettes.