Surveys

Electronic nicotine delivery systems: adult use and awareness of the ‘e-cigarette’ in the USA

In this US sample, awareness of ENDS [electronic nicotine delivery systems - ecigs] doubled from 16.4% in 2009 to 32.2% in 2010 and ever use more than quadrupled from 2009 (0.6%) to 2010 (2.7%). Ever use of ENDS was most common among women and those with lower education, although these were not the groups who had heard of ENDS most often. Current smokers and tobacco users were most likely to try ENDS. However, current smokers who had tried ENDS did not say they planned to quit smoking more often than smokers who had never tried them.

Regan, Promoff, Dube and Arrazola (2011)

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigs): views of aficionados and clinical/public health perspectives

Until we have more evidence on the safety and efficacy of e-cigs for smoking cessation, smokers should be advised to use proven treatments (e.g. counselling and FDA-approved medicines). However, for those who have successfully switched to e-cigs, the priority should be staying off cigarettes, rather than quitting e-cigs.

Foulds, Veldheer and Berg (2011)

Electronic cigarette: users profile, utilization, satisfaction and perceived efficacy

Only one never smoker used nicotine-containing e-cigarettes, a finding that could reflect the fact that under-age consumers were ineligible for the survey, or that contrary to the hypothesis expressed by some authors, e-cigarettes do not facilitate initiation to nicotine use in young never smokers.

Of interest, current smokers who used the e-cigarette had fewer respiratory symptoms than smokers who did not use it ... This difference is substantial, as it is larger than the minimally clinically important difference for this questionnaire ... and very close to the difference ... previously reported between patients with moderate and severe COPD.

Etter and Bullen (2011)

The primary finding was a 6-month point prevalence of smoking abstinence among the e-cigarette users in the sample of 31%. This compares favorably to the average 6-month point prevalence of smoking abstinence of 17.8% in prior studies and to the 6-month point prevalence of smoking abstinence of 11.9% in the pooled data from these studies.

Electronic Cigarettes as a Smoking Cessation Tool - Siegel, Tanwar and Wood (2011)

9% of smokers in the UK have tried electronic cigarettes and third of those continue to use them (around 312,000 users).

52% of smokers have heard of ecigs but haven't tried them.

The main thing smokers want from new "NRT products" is affordability.

People who smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day and women were most interested in new ways to satisfy desire to smoke where it's not allowed and that would be a primary motivator for using ecigs. This would also be the main reason for recommending them to other smokers. Recommendations for use as a quit smoking product were least likely.

What smokers tell us about e-cigarettes - Dockrell, ASH UK (2010)

Respondents (73 current and 8 former users) lived in France, Canada, Belgium or Switzerland. Most respondents (77%) were men; 63% were former smokers and 37% were current smokers. They had used e-cigarettes for 100 days (median) and drew 175 puffs per day (median). Participants used the ecigarette either to quit smoking (53 comments), to reduce their cigarette consumption (14 comments), in order not to disturb other people with smoke (20 comments), or in smoke-free places (21 comments). Positive effects reported with ecigarettes included their usefulness to quit smoking, and the benefits of abstinence from smoking (less coughing, improved breathing, better physical fitness). Respondents also enjoyed the flavour of ecigarettes and the sensation of inhalation. Side effects included dryness of the mouth and throat. Respondents complained about the frequent technical failures of ecigarettes and had some concerns about the possible toxicity of the devices and about their future legal status.

Ecigarettes were used mainly to quit smoking, and may be helpful for this purpose, but several respondents were concerned about potential toxicity.

Electronic cigarettes: a survey of users Etter (2010)

Online Forum Poll by Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association (2009)

All respondents previously smoked and 91% had attempted to stop smoking before trying ecigarettes. Most respondents resided in the USA (72%) and 21% were in Europe. About half (55%) were 31-50, while 32% were >50 years old. Most (79%) of the respondents had been using e-cigarettes for <6 months and reported using them as a complete (79%) or partial (17%) replacement for, rather than in addition to (4%), cigarettes. The majority of respondents reported that their general health (91%), smoker’s cough (97%), ability to exercise (84%), and sense of smell (80%) and taste (73%) were better since using e-cigarettes and none reported that these were worse. Although people whose e-cigarette use completely replaced smoking were more likely to experience improvements in health and smoking caused symptoms, most people who
\nsubstituted e-cigarettes for even some of their cigarettes experienced improvements.

These are highly motivated and passionate e-cigarette users who may have different experiences than average e-cigarette users or smokers, and thus the estimates cannot be extrapolated to all smokers or e-cigarette users. However, the results still suggest that very few e-cigarette users are not using them to replace cigarettes and there are many switchers and current smokers who could have the reported experience. Unfortunately e-cigarettes have been banned in some jurisdictions (e.g., Canada, Victoria (Australia)) where switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes was documented. The lack of available and legal e-cigarettes may cause some users to resume smoking.

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) as potential tobacco harm reduction products: Results of an online survey of e-cigarette users - Heavner, Dunworth, Bergen, Nissen and Phillips (2009)

Read more on these results at: http://www.ecigarettedirect.co.uk/research/free-electronic-cigarette-cha...

In a survey of more than 250 electronic cigarette smokers, smokers and non-smokers, only 28% of respondents believed that smoking electronic cigarettes was more unhealthy than electronic cigarettes.
58% gave an emphatic no, while just under 30% remained unsure.
The numbers were rather different for non-smokers only, with 32.6% agreeing that the electronic cigarette was more dangerous than cigarettes. A minority (15.1%) did not believe the claim, while more than 50% were unsure. Smokers were more sceptical, with only 10.9% believing it was more dangerous, although again more than 50% were uncertain.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, those who had already converted to the electronic cigarette had a different story to tell, with all 89 respondents agreeing that the electronic cigarette was safer than cigarettes.

What do the public think about public health groups smoking claims? - Dunworth (2009)