A recent study by researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Cancer Center found that frequent use of e-cigarettes can help people quit smoking. The study looked at over 24,000 former cigarette smokers, trying to figure out the relationship between e-cigarette use and cessation of smoking. The data for the study came from the Tobacco Use Supplement-Current Population Survey (TUS-CPS), a survey performed regularly by the US Census Bureau and published by the federal government’s National Cancer Institute.
The study found that those who used e-cigarettes were more likely to make an attempt to quit smoking than were those who didn’t use e-cigarettes. Among smokers who made at least one attempt to quit, those who had used e-cigarettes for at least 5 days within the past month were the most successful at quitting smoking, while those who had never used e-cigarettes were the least successful. The odds of quitting increased by 10 percent with each additional day of e-cigarette use, according to the study’s lead author.
These findings could be important for those looking to quit smoking and for any healthcare providers who may be treating them. While the first step to quitting smoking is making a firm resolution to quit, using e-cigarettes on a regular basis instead of cigarettes may be one of the most effective ways for smokers to eventually kick their nicotine habit.