Evidence review of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products

Evidence review of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (here)

Published by Public Health England (PHE) in February 2018

• Vaping poses only a small fraction of the risks of smoking and switching completely from smoking to vaping conveys substantial health benefits
• E-cigarettes could be contributing to at least 20,000 successful new quits per year and possibly many more
• E-cigarette use is associated with improved quit success rates over the last year and an accelerated drop in smoking rates across the UK
• The evidence does not support the argument that e-cigarettes encourage smoking among young people. Regular use is rare and is almost entirely confined to those who have smoked before.
• The greatest quit success is among those who combine using an e-cigarette with support from a local stop smoking service
• E-cigarette use is associated with improved quit success rates over the last year and an accelerated drop in smoking rates across the UK.
• There is compelling evidence that e-cigarettes should be made available to NHS patients. The PHE review recommends that e-cigarettes should be available for sale in hospital shops and vaping policies should support smokers to quit and stay smokefree.