Understanding Use of E-cigarettes for Smoking Cessation Among a Sample of U.S. Adults

Many adults who smoke cigarettes report trying e-cigarettes to quit smoking. Understanding the use of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation and the type of support that adults desire when trying to quit smoking is important for supporting cessation attempts and maximizing smoking abstinence.

In the summer of 2021, an online survey of 857 adults who reported a history of regular cigarette smoking and endorsed using e-cigarettes in a recent smoking cessation attempt was conducted. Survey items assessed reasons for using e-cigarettes to quit smoking, what was helpful about e-cigarettes, and what information participants desired when using e-cigarettes to quit smoking.

Common reasons for using e-cigarettes to quit smoking included beliefs that vaping would be helpful for quitting (53.6%), vaping is safer than smoking (50.5%), and favorable comparisons relative to other nicotine replacement treatments like nicotine patches and gum (24.7%). 23.8% selected e-cigarettes because they were cheaper than other smoking cessation aids. 89% of participants reported still smoking cigarettes at the time of the survey. The most common information people wanted when quitting was advice on how to gradually reduce nicotine over time to become nicotine-free (46.3%), how different vaping devices work (39.7%), and what nicotine concentration to start with (37.7%).

Findings identified common beliefs about e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid and how they compare to other treatments including nicotine replacement treatment. Understanding factors that support cessation is critical especially due to high relapse rates. Results may help to inform support programs, especially for individuals who are interested in using e-cigarettes to quit smoking.

Despite greater reporting, there is a limited understanding of e-cigarette use for quitting among those who smoke cigarettes. Our study highlights the reasons for using e-cigarettes among those who have recently tried e-cigarettes for quitting smoking, and the components of e-cigarettes that were helpful. We also examined the desired support in a program designed to use e-cigarettes for quitting smoking. The majority of participants who attempted to quit smoking using an e-cigarette relapsed to smoking, indicating the gap in cessation support that can be filled with a greater understanding of the desired support.