2024-03-20 07:00:02
A Swiss study, published last month in the “New England Journal of Medicine”, says so. It involved a sample of 1246 people with an average age of 38 years. Among them 47% women and 53% men. All had smoked at least 5 cigarettes per day for at least 1 year. And all had planned to quit smoking within 3 months following inclusion in the study. Combined with advice, the use of electronic cigarettes would make it possible to quit smoking more often than advice alone. However, subjects weaned from tobacco are not necessarily weaned from nicotine. They continue to use electronic cigarettes.
The participants were divided into 2 groups.
Members of the test group had free e-cigarettes, liquid, a standard amount of nicotine and counseling. They might also resort to paid nicotine substitutes.
Those in the control group received the same advice and a $50 voucher to use as they wished, including for nicotine replacements.
All had a follow-up visit 6 months following the planned quit date. A biochemical check of their abstinence was then carried out. More than half of the test group said they were abstinent the week before the visit compared to just over a third of the control group. In fact, abstinence was validated for 28.9% of the test group…Compared to 16.3% of the control group.
Very few in the test group used nicotine substitutes: less than 7%. Compared to more than 63% of the control group.
Furthermore, just over 21% of the test group said they were completely without nicotine in any form whatsoever. Compared to 33.7% of the control group. In terms of safety during the 6 months of follow-up, serious adverse effects occurred in the same proportions in the 2 groups. Between 4 and 5%. According to the authors of the study “the addition of electronic cigarettes led to greater abstinence from tobacco consumption”.
The study, however, has limitations. First, participants knew their group assignment. Then the control group had a voucher, but no free substitutes. Then fluids were provided for 6 months only. Finally, participants were automatically classified as non-abstinent if data were missing to biochemically verify their smoking abstinence.
The benefits of stopping smoking • ©WHO
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