UKECRF Research Roundup
The UK E-Cigarette Research Forum passes comment on another selection of vape-related studies
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by Dave Cross
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The UKECRF [link] has looked at another overwhelming number of vape-related studies and passed comment on a select few. Its suggested reading list “does not cover every e-cigarette-related study published”.
Effect of e-Cigarettes Plus Counselling vs Counselling Alone on Smoking Cessation: A Randomized Clinical Trial [link]
The authors concluded: “Among adults motivated to quit smoking, nicotine e-cigarettes plus counselling vs counselling alone significantly increased point prevalence abstinence at 12 weeks. However, the difference was no longer significant at 24 weeks, and trial interpretation is limited by early termination and inconsistent findings for nicotine and non-nicotine e-cigarettes, suggesting further research is needed.”
UKECRF noted the intended primary outcome was the same as a recent UK trial, but the chosen device became unavailable when only 77% of the target number of participants were randomised. “This smaller sample would have left the trial underpowered to test the original primary outcome.”
“Participants who received the nicotine containing e-cigarette were significantly more likely to quit than the group who only received behavioural support (21.9% vs 9.1%).”
This was the first trial of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation conducted in North America, and UKECRF says the results “will feed into future Cochrane reviews to bring together a larger body of evidence on vaping for smoking cessation”.
A cluster feasibility trial to explore the uptake and use of e-cigarettes versus usual care offered to smokers attending homeless centres in Great Britain [link]
The second study this month was a feasibility study of offering e-cigarettes through homeless services in England and Scotland. UKECRF noted that “over half of the smokers approached to participate in the study did take part, and of these 59% remained engaged and completed the final follow up at 6 months.”
UKECRF observed that “participants responded positively” and that “retention was higher amongst the smokers who received an e-cigarette starter pack than those who did not.”
It stated: “The researchers were able to demonstrate that a range of other data could be collected that would be needed in a future trial, and this larger study is now being planned.”
Responsibility, normalisation and negotiations of harm: E-cigarette users' opinions and experiences of vaping around children [link]
Ward, Dawkins, Holland and Notley concluded: “Vaping is likely to be role modelled within the community and home despite attempts by e-cigarette users to conceal the behaviour. The ambivalent contextualisation of e-cigarettes means that e-cigarette users may lack a clear narrative to draw on when discussing vaping with children. Public health guidance for vaping around children could be helpful, but to be most effective, should take into consideration users' vaping identity.”
The study looked at how people vape and how they talk about vaping where children are or might be present. UKECRF said: “For those interested, it is well worth reading the article for more details. Findings made clear that vaping around children was more complex than views around smoking with children present where harms were clearly understood and accepted.”
Associations between reasons for vaping and current vaping and smoking status: Evidence from a UK based cohort [link]
The University of Bristol academics concluded: “Intention to quit appears important for young adults to stop smoking using e-cigarettes. Public health strategies that encourage vaping specifically for smoking cessation may encourage quitting among young adults.”
UKECRF found a number of shortcomings:
- Participants self-reported all data meaning results may be subject to recall bias.
- The reasons for vaping were selected from an exhaustive list meaning other potential reasons may have been omitted. “Flavours” were not an option meaning their role in smoking cessation could not be assessed.
- The age of participants meant that e-cigarettes were not widely available when they were 15-16 (when initiation generally peaks). Therefore, the results may not be generalisable to young adults today.
- Due to small numbers of never smokers who had tried vaping by 23 years, analyses were restricted to ever smokers. Therefore, the study could not explore any associations between reasons for vaping and continued vaping and smoking.
Related:
Patterns of use
- Risk Factors and Perceptions of E-Cigarette Use Among Selected Users in Johannesburg, South Africa
- Smoking Intention and Progression From E-Cigarette Use to Cigarette Smoking.
- Examining electronic nicotine delivery system use and perception of use among college students with and without asthma across the South.
- E-cigarette use is associated with subsequent cigarette use among young adult nonsmokers, over and above a range of antecedent risk factors: A propensity score analysis.
- Accessing vaping products when underage: A qualitative study of young adults in Southern California.
Tobacco and e-cigarette smoking habits among Italian healthcare students. - Dependence and Use Characteristics of Adult JUUL Electronic Cigarette Users.
- Does having one or more smoking friends mediate the transition from e-cigarette use to cigarette smoking: a longitudinal study of Canadian youth.
- Nicotine Dependence in Dual Users of Cigarettes and E-Cigarettes: Common and Distinct Elements.
- Using Peer Crowd Affiliation to Address Dual Use of Cigarettes and E-Cigarettes among San Francisco Bay Area Young Adults: A Cross Sectional Study.
- Electronic cigarette use among 14- to 17-year-olds in Europe.
- Associations between reasons for vaping and current vaping and smoking status: Evidence from a UK based cohort.
- Temporal Trends in the Prevalence of Current E-Cigarette and Cigarette Use by Annual Household Income from 2016 to 2018 (From the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System [BRFSS] Survey).
- Motivations for use, identity and the vaper subculture: a qualitative study of the experiences of Western Australian vapers.
- Serum cotinine levels and nicotine addiction potential of e-cigarettes: an NHANES analysis.
- Patterns of tobacco use and nicotine dependence among youth, United States, 2017-2018.
- E-Cigarette Advocates on Twitter: Content Analysis of Vaping-Related Tweets.
- Association between e-cigarette use and future combustible cigarette use: Evidence from a prospective cohort of youth and young adults, 2017-2019.
Perception
- Responsibility, normalisation and negotiations of harm: E-cigarette users' opinions and experiences of vaping around children.
- Attitudes towards the New Zealand Government's Smokefree 2025 goal associated with smoking and vaping in university students aged 18 to 24 years: results of a 2018 national cross-sectional survey.
- Electronic Cigarette-Related Contents on Instagram: Observational Study and Exploratory Analysis.
- A Content Analysis of U.S. Adults' Open-Ended Responses to E-Cigarette Risk Messages.
- A Toxic Blend: Assessing the Effects of Cross-Source Media Coverage of Flavored E-Cigarettes on Youth and Young Adult Perceptions.
- An experimental study of messages communicating potential harms of electronic cigarettes.
- Public Opinion About E-Cigarettes on Chinese Social Media: A Combined Study of Text Mining Analysis and Correspondence Analysis.
Cessation
- Effect of e-Cigarettes Plus Counseling vs Counseling Alone on Smoking Cessation: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
- A cluster feasibility trial to explore the uptake and use of e-cigarettes versus usual care offered to smokers attending homeless centres in Great Britain.
- Vape Shop Employees: Do They Act as Smoking Cessation Counselors?
- Sensory experiences and cues among E-cigarette users.
Youth
- Adolescent Susceptibility to E-Cigarettes: An Update From the 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey.
- Adolescent E-Cigarette Onset and Escalation: Associations With Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms.
- Associations Between Peer Use, Costs and Benefits, Self-Efficacy, and Adolescent E-cigarette Use.
- E-cigarette use and concurrent risk behaviors among adolescents.
- Associated factors for depression, suicidal ideation and suicide attempt among asthmatic adolescents with experience of electronic cigarette use.
- E-cigarette use perceptions that differentiate e-cigarette susceptibility and use among high school students.
Harms and harm reduction
- Attitudes towards a hypothetical 'clean nicotine' product and harm reduction among smokers.
- Acute effects of electronic cigarettes on arterial pressure and peripheral sympathetic activity in young non-smokers.
- Vaping Disrupts Ventilation-Perfusion Matching in Asymptomatic Users.
- Electronic cigarette aerosols induce oxidative stress-dependent cell death and NF-kappaB mediated acute lung inflammation in mice
- Electronic Cigarettes and Head and Neck Cancer Risk-Current State of Art.
- E-cigarette Use and Respiratory Disorder: An Integrative Review of Converging Evidence from Epidemiological and Laboratory Studies.
- Association of Electronic Cigarette Use With Incident Respiratory Conditions Among US Adults From 2013 to 2018.
- Electronic cigarette use and subjective cognitive complaints in adults.
- Impacts of electronic cigarettes usage on air quality of vape shops and their nearby areas.
- Effects of 3-Month Exposure to E-Cigarette Aerosols on Glutamatergic Receptors and Transporters in Mesolimbic Brain Regions of Female C57BL/6 Mice.
- E-cigarette Use Alters Nasal Mucosal Immune Response to Live-Attenuated Influenza Virus (LAIV).
- Cell-specific toxicity of short-term JUUL aerosol exposure to human bronchial epithelial cells and murine macrophages exposed at the air-liquid interface.
- Cigarette Smoke and Nicotine-Containing E-cigarette Vapor Downregulate Lung WWOX Expression Which is Associated with Increased Severity of Murine ARDS.
- Differences in Exposure to Nicotine, Tobacco-Specific Nitrosamines, and Volatile Organic Compounds among Electronic Cigarette Users, Tobacco Smokers, and Dual Users from Three Countries.
Marketing
- E-Cigarette Promotion on Twitter in Australia: Content Analysis of Tweets.
- Perceptions of E-cigarettes and Flavor Restrictions among Tobacco Retailers in Los Angeles.
Misc
- Characterization of E-cigarette coil temperature and toxic metal analysis by infrared temperature sensing and scanning electron microscopy - energy-dispersive X-ray.
- Method for Quantifying Variation in the Resistance of Electronic Cigarette Coils.
- Informing the development of adolescent e-cigarette cessation interventions: A qualitative study.
- Optimization of aqueous aerosol extract (AqE) generation from e-cigarettes and tobacco heating products for in vitro cytotoxicity testing.
- Vape shop and consumer activity during COVID-19 non-essential business closures in the USA.
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous vape companies to develop content for their websites.
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