UKECRF Vape Research Update
The UK E-Cigarette Research Forum has released its latest research round-up.
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by Dave Cross
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The UKECRF [link] provides monthly updates aiming giving an overview of new vape. They are aimed at researchers, policy makers, health professionals and anyone else with an interest in tobacco harm reduction. The authors point out that the studies they present are but a snapshot of all the papers published over the last month.
Association of genetic liability to smoking initiation with e-cigarette use in young adults: A cohort study – [link]
A Bristol-based team said: “Our results indicate that there may be a shared genetic aetiology between smoking and e-cigarette use, and also with socioeconomic position, externalising disorders in childhood, and risky behaviour more generally. This indicates that there may be a common genetic vulnerability to both smoking and e-cigarette use, which may reflect a broad risk-taking phenotype.”
This means they found a link between someone’s genes and their liability to start smoking and actual smoking status. It also found a positive link between smoking initiation and ever e-cigarette use, even among non-smokers.
It was a longitudinal study involving 7,859 participants but the UKECRF say the sample size was too small to extrapolate the findings to a population level. It pointed out that as ecig use was self-reported it may be subject to recall bias, and those who were 17 at the start of the research would’ve been less likely to have been exposed to vape products.
A further problem with the study was that the attrition rate was high – meaning the number of people dropping out of the study as it was ongoing – and this creates further issues for analysis.
England SimSmoke: the impact of nicotine vaping on smoking prevalence and smoking-attributable deaths in England – [link]
Researchers at King’s College’s National Addiction Centre, UCL’s Behavioural Science department, and the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center in the United States concluded that, “an indirect method of simulation modelling indicates that substantial reductions in smoking prevalence occurred in England from 2012-2019 coinciding with the growth in nicotine vaping product use.”
While this is an outstanding finding, supporting claims that vaping is far less harmful when compared to smoking, the UKECRF suggested that the fall in smoking rates “could” have been due to legislation changes, anti-smoking campaigns, and changes in the public’s attitudes.
Differences between ethnic groups in self-reported use of e-cigarettes and nicotine replacement therapy for cutting down and temporary abstinence: a cross-sectional population-level survey in England – [link]
The independent UCL group of Emma Beard, Jamie Brown, Sarah Jackson, Harry Tattan-Birch and Lion Shahab are well known to readers of POTV News as they have been involved in many positive pieces of ecig research.
In this study, they concluded: “In England, e-cigarette use by smokers for cutting down and temporary abstinence is less common among Asian and Arab/other ethnicity smokers compared with White smokers. Smokers of mixed/multiple ethnicity are the most likely to be using NRT compared with other ethnic groups for cutting down and temporary abstinence. E-cigarette use by smokers for cutting down and temporary abstinence has increased over time among White smokers, whereas prevalence in other ethnic groups has remained stable.”
The findings provide an insight for people allocating quit smoking resources, but the UKECRF pointed out that some confounders had been missed and the ethnic groups were very broad. It added: “The study did not consider other methods of smoking reduction – for example behavioural support or prescription medication. Therefore, it is unclear whether different groups are more likely to use these options.”
Other studies from March/April:
Patterns of use
- Sources of flavoured e-cigarettes among California youth and young adults: associations with local flavoured tobacco sales restrictions.
- Association of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder With E-Cigarette Use.
- Alcohol and other drug health-care providers and their client's perceptions of e-cigarette use, safety and harm reduction.
- E-cigarette use and combustible tobacco cigarette smoking uptake among non-smokers, including relapse in former smokers: umbrella review, systematic review and meta-analysis.
- Nicotine delivery and cigarette equivalents from vaping a JUULpod.
- Validating E-cigarette Dependence Scales Based on Dynamic Patterns of Vaping Behaviors.
- Nicotine Dependence in Dual Users of Cigarettes and E-Cigarettes: Common and Distinct Elements.
- Associated Changes in E-cigarette Puff Duration and Cigarettes Smoked per Day.
- Harsh and Sweet Sensations Predict Acute Liking of Electronic Cigarettes, but Flavor Does Not Affect Acute Nicotine Intake: A Pilot Laboratory Study in Men.
- Gender Differences in Reasons for Using Electronic Cigarettes and Product Characteristics: Findings From the 2018 ITC Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey.
- Differences between ethnic groups in self-reported use of e-cigarettes and nicotine replacement therapy for cutting down and temporary abstinence: a cross-sectional population-level survey in England.
- Association of genetic liability to smoking initiation with e-cigarette use in young adults: A cohort study.
- Trends in frequency of e-cigarette use among cancer patients and survivors in the United States, 2014-2018.
- Stressful life events and electronic cigarette use during pregnancy.
- Changes in puffing topography and subjective effects over a 2-week period in e-cigarette naive smokers: Effects of device type and nicotine concentrations.
- Cross-Sectional Associations of Smoking and E-cigarette Use with Self-Reported Diagnosed Hypertension: Findings from Wave 3 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study.
- Binge Drinking Moderates the Association Between Chronic Lung Disease and E-Cigarette Use.
- Dual Use of Electronic Cigarettes and Traditional Cigarettes Among Adults: Psychosocial Correlates and Associated Respiratory Symptoms.
- Relations among sweet taste preference, body mass index, and use of E-cigarettes for weight control motives in young adults.
- Both non-smoking youth and smoking adults like sweet and minty e-liquid flavors more than tobacco flavor.
- Correlates of e-cigarette use among active duty US military personnel: implications for cessation policy.
- Electronic cigarettes in standard smoking cessation treatment by tobacco counselors in Flanders: E-cigarette users show similar if not higher quit rates as those using commonly recommended smoking cessation aids.
- E-liquid purchase as a function of workplace restriction in the experimental tobacco marketplace.
- Awareness and prevalence of e-cigarette use among Chinese adults: policy implications.
- Systematic Review of Electronic Cigarette Use (Vaping) and Mental Health Comorbidity Among Adolescents and Young Adults.
- E-Cigarette Demand: Impact of Commodity Definitions and Test-Retest Reliability.
- E-cigarettes use prior to smoking combustible cigarettes among dual users: The roles of social anxiety and E-cigarette outcome expectancies.
- E-cigarette use is associated with subsequent cigarette use among young adult non-smokers, over and above a range of antecedent risk factors: a propensity score analysis.
- The impact of flavored ENDS use among adolescents on daily use occasions and number of puffs, and next day intentions and willingness to vape.
- Pregnant women's use of e-cigarettes in the UK: a cross-sectional survey.
Perception
- Perceptions of e-cigarettes among smokers and non-smokers in households with children in rural China: A cross-sectional study.
- Electronic nicotine delivery systems: use, knowledge, and attitudes among diverse college students.
- Does the content and source credibility of health and risk messages related to nicotine vaping products have an impact on harm perception and behavioural intentions? A systematic review.
- Flavor and product messaging are the two most important drivers of electronic cigarette selection in a choice-based task.
- Adolescent electronic cigarette counselling: knowledge, attitudes and perceived barriers among clinical staff in a primary care setting.
- Electronic cigarette use and perceptions amongst UK medical students: A cross-sectional study.
- Motivations and methods of dual users to quit vaping: Survey findings from adults who use electronic and combustible cigarettes.
- Healthcare Professionals' Beliefs, Attitudes, Knowledge, and Behavior Around Vaping in Pregnancy and Postpartum: A Qualitative Study.
Cessation
- Interest in Quitting e-Cigarettes Among Adult e-Cigarette Users With and Without Cigarette Smoking History.
- Vape Shop Employees: Do They Act as Smoking Cessation Counselors?
- Patterns of E-cigarette Use and Subsequent Cigarette Smoking Cessation Over 2 Years (2013/2014-2015/2016) in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study.
- Effectiveness of Electronic Cigarettes in Smoking Cessation: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
A Single-Arm, Open-Label, Pilot, and Feasibility Study of a High Nicotine Strength E-Cigarette Intervention for Smoking Cessation or Reduction for People With Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders Who Smoke Cigarettes. - A systematic review of randomized controlled trials and network meta-analysis of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation.
- The effectiveness of using e-cigarettes for quitting smoking compared to other cessation methods among adults in the United Kingdom.
- Smoking cessation in individuals who use vaping as compared with traditional nicotine replacement therapies: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
- Intensive Longitudinal Study of the Relationship Between Cigalike E-cigarette Use and Cigarette Smoking Among Adult Cigarette Smokers Without Immediate Plans to Quit Smoking.
- England SimSmoke: the impact of nicotine vaping on smoking prevalence and smoking-attributable deaths in England.
Youth
- Trends and Patterns of Tobacco and Nicotine Product Use Among Youth in Canada, England, and the United States From 2017 to 2019.
- Assessing the Social Influences, Self-Esteem, and Stress of High School Students Who Vape.
- Adolescent's Health Perceptions of E-Cigarettes: A Systematic Review.
- Youth use of e-cigarettes: Does dependence vary by device type?
- The emerging norms of e-cigarette use among adolescents: A meta-ethnography of qualitative evidence.
- Effects of Social Media on Adolescents' Willingness and Intention to Use E-Cigarettes: An Experimental Investigation.
- Social media and E-cigarette use among US youth: Longitudinal evidence on the role of online advertisement exposure and risk perception.
- Combustible and electronic cigarette use and insufficient sleep among U.S. high school students.
- High-School Students Rarely Use E-Cigarettes Alone: A Sociodemographic Analysis of Polysubstance Use Among Adolescents in the United States.
- Youth Vaping and Tobacco Use in Context in the United States: Results From the 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey.
- Do Parents Still Matter? The Impact of Parents and Peers on Adolescent Electronic Cigarette Use.
Marketing
- Circumvention of COVID-19-related restrictions on tobacco sales by the e-cigarette industry in South Africa and comparative analyses of heated tobacco product vs combustible cigarette volume sales during 2018-2020.
- Influence of online comments on smokers' E-cigarette attitude: Opinion climate, review fraud, and resistance to persuasion.
- The impact of varying warning color on e-cigarette advertisements: Results from an online experiment among young adults.
Harms and harm reduction
- Harm reduction associated with dual use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes in Black and Latino smokers: Secondary analyses from a randomized controlled e-cigarette switching trial.
- E-cigarette Vape and Lung ACE2 Expression: Implications for coronavirus vulnerability.
- Differential responses to e-cig generated aerosols from humectants and different forms of nicotine in epithelial cells from non-smokers and smokers.
- The Immediate Physiological Effects of E-Cigarette Use and Exposure to Secondhand E-Cigarette Vapor.
- Pilot Study to Detect Genes Involved in DNA Damage and Cancer in Humans: Potential Biomarkers of Exposure to E-Cigarette Aerosols.
- Reducing the smoking-related health burden in the USA through diversion to electronic cigarettes: a system dynamics simulation study.
- A Magic Bullet? The Potential Impact of E-Cigarettes on the Toll of Cigarette Smoking.
- The in vitro ToxTracker and Aneugen Clastogen Evaluation extension assay as a tool in the assessment of relative genotoxic potential of e-liquids and their aerosols.
- The Cardiovascular Effects of Electronic Cigarettes.
- E-cigarette users are associated with asthma disease: A meta-analysis.Electronic Cigarette Aerosol Is Cytotoxic and Increases ACE2 Expression on Human Airway Epithelial Cells: Implications for SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).
- Association of electronic cigarette exposure with serum uric acid level and hyperuricemia: 2016-2017 Korea National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey.
- Refill liquids for electronic cigarettes display peculiar toxicity on human endothelial cells.
- Impact of cigarette versus electronic cigarette aerosol conditioned media on aortic endothelial cells in a microfluidic cardiovascular model.
- DNA methylation differentiates smoking from vaping and non-combustible tobacco use.
- Sex dependent effect of maternal e-nicotine on F1 Drosophila development and airways.
- Nicotine e-cigarette vapor inhalation and self-administration in a rodent model: Sex- and nicotine delivery-specific effects on metabolism and behavior.
- Long-Term Electronic Cigarette Exposure Induces Cardiovascular Dysfunction Similar to Tobacco Cigarettes: Role of Nicotine and Exposure Duration.
- Exposure to Nicotine and Toxicants Among Dual Users of Tobacco Cigarettes and E-Cigarettes: Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study, 2013-2014.
Misc
- Understanding commercial actors' engagement in policy debates on proposed e-cigarette regulation in Scotland.
- Development and validation of a gas chromatography method coupled with flame ionization detector for quantitative analysis of fragrance allergens in aromas for e-cigarettes.
- Acute and subacute inhalation toxicity assessment of WS-23 in Sprague-Dawley rats.
- Design features and elemental/metal analysis of the atomizers in pod-style electronic cigarettes.
- Retrospective review of nicotine exposures in California from 2012 to 2018 and analysis of the impacts of e-cigarette regulations.
- Characterising vaping products in the United Kingdom: an analysis of Tobacco Products Directive notification data.
- Google shopping queries for vaping products, JUUL and IQOS during the E-cigarette, or Vaping, product use Associated Lung Injury (EVALI) outbreak.
- Initial Views and Experiences of Vaping in Prisons: A Qualitative Study With People in Custody Preparing for the Imminent Implementation of Scotland's Prison Smokefree Policy.
- Associations between vaping and Covid-19: Cross-sectional findings from the HEBECO study.
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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