90 days to quit smoking by switching to vaping

Since the meteoric rise of the vaping industry, many research studies have turned to the health benefits of making the switch. Most came to the conclusion that this smoking substitute was comparatively harmless to health. Vaping is indeed proven to be 95% less hazardous to health than tobacco.

More recently, a study focused on vaping as a method to stop smoking. Published in the Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, this study appears promising. Across the sample, 37% of participants managed to quit smoking entirely.

The study, funded by Fontem Ventures who market the Blu e-cig range, is the first of its kind. While vaping has been considered a smoking-cessation tool since day one, this study brings scientific evidence to bear.

E-cigs: a tried and tested smoking cessation tool

72 participants were provided with a Blu-branded vaping device for 90 days and a range of e-juice flavours. After 3 months of use, about 37% of participants had totally quit smoking.

Researchers also noted a major reduction in the number of cigarettes smoked daily, from 14.38 to 3.19. In conclusion, the average of 27.87 days in the month where cigarettes were consumed was reduced to 9.22 by the end of the study. In total, 92.1% of smokers participating claimed that electronic cigarettes helped them reduce or even eliminate their cigarette consumption.

Neil McKeganey, the author of the study, was happy to report these findings. The participants mentioned that the flavours in particular, such as fruity or sweet aromas, helped them make the switch. Flavouring helped new vapers change their experience as they tested the device, and develop a taste for sweet vapour over acrid tobacco smoke.

While the study is promising, it nevertheless has been criticised, notably by Bertrand Dautzenberg, president of the Paris sans Tabac association. For example, the study did not account for participants to quit the study mid-way, and that should be considered failures.

Furthermore, it seems that the sample was paid to participate, which could lead to bias, as the money encouraged them to stick to the programme for the full 90 days. As to whether or not those who had quit managed to maintain their abstinence after the study concluded, the question remains unanswered.