E-cigarettes.. Will they end smoking?

The results showed, after six months, that 21.1% of participants who used e-cigarettes and received telephone counseling were able to quit smoking, compared to 11.3% of those who used e-cigarettes alone, and 6.4% of those who received only automated messages.

Thus, the quit rate for those using e-cigarettes alone increased by 76% compared to those who relied on automated messages, while the success rate for the group that received telephone counseling was nearly double the rate recorded for the first group.

Results persist after a year

Follow-up after 12 months showed that the differences between the groups persisted, as quit rates reached 16.8% for those who combined e-cigarettes with telephone counseling, and 9% for those using e-cigarettes alone, compared to 5.4% for those who received only support messages.

Dr. Katie Myers-Smith, the study's lead author and a lecturer in health psychology at Queen Mary University, said that specialized counseling is not a prerequisite for benefiting from e-cigarettes to quit smoking, but it can significantly increase the chances of success.

She added that the study's results support facilitating access to cessation aids without requiring specialized counseling, while making additional support available to those who want it.

For his part, Hayden McRobbie, a professor of population health at the university, said that e-cigarettes may help people who cannot or do not wish to attend regular counseling sessions, stressing the importance of continuing to provide telephone support to enhance the chances of quitting.

Although e-cigarettes are less harmful than traditional smoking, they are not without health risks, and the long-term effects of their use are still being studied, making their role in smoking cessation a health issue that requires balancing potential benefits and risks.