Tobacco Treatment Aids Quitting for Dual Users of Cigarettes, E-Cigarettes

WEDNESDAY, July 27, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Tobacco treatment, such as nicotine-replacement therapy and behavioral support therapy, helps dual users of cigarettes and electronic cigarettes quit smoking, according to a study published online July 20 in Thorax.

Brendan T. Heiden, M.D., from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and colleagues assessed whether formal tobacco treatment (pharmacotherapy and/or behavioral support) augments smoking cessation in individuals who use both cigarettes and e-cigarettes. The analysis included 111,823 outpatients seen at a tertiary care medical center from June 2018 to June 2020.

The researchers found that the prevalence of dual use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes increased significantly for each six-month block during the study period (0.8, 1.1, 1.8, and 2.3 percent, respectively). At 12 months, the prevalence of smoking cessation was higher among e-cigarette users (20.8 percent) versus nonusers (16.8 percent; adjusted relative risk, 1.354). The prevalence of smoking cessation at 12 months among dual users was higher among individuals who received tobacco treatment (29.1 percent) versus those who did not (19.6 percent; adjusted relative risk, 1.238).

“Although current guidelines do not recommend vaping for smoking cessation, we did find that among the growing number of people who use both of these products, traditional FDA-approved tobacco treatment — such as nicotine-replacement therapy and behavioral support therapy — can help them quit,” Heiden said in a statement.

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