12th Annual Update on Smoking and Health: UK E-Cigarette Usage

Smoking and Health Action has released its 12th annual update, covering the use of e-cigarettes among adults in the UK. The data shows that 4.3 million people now use e-cigarettes, but anti-smoking charities note that it is not yet clear whether changes in attitudes towards smoking during the Covid-19 pandemic will be permanent or substantive.

The use and awareness of e-cigarettes has reached a record high in the UK with 8.3% of the adult population now using them, which equates to 4.3 million people.

Currently, the majority of e-cigarette users are former smokers (57%). This percentage reached its peak in 2021, reaching 64%.

Currently, only 1.3% of non-smokers are using electronic cigarettes, accounting for 8.1% of electronic cigarette users.

The proportion of adult smokers who have never tried e-cigarettes continues to decline slowly, reaching 28% by 2022. Currently, the proportion of smokers using e-cigarettes has increased from 17% in 2021 to 22% in 2022. There is a shift in attitude towards e-cigarettes.

As in previous years, the main reason given by former smokers for using electronic cigarettes is to assist in quitting smoking (29%). The next most common reason is to prevent relapse (19%), followed by enjoyment of the experience (14%) and to save money (11%).

The main reasons current smokers give for using electronic cigarettes are reducing smoking (17%), saving money (16%), attempting to help them quit smoking (14%), and avoiding relapse (13%).

One-third (32%) of smokers mistakenly believe that electronic cigarettes are more harmful or equally harmful as smoking.

Equipment and products used.

The most common type of e-cigarette device is still the refillable pod system, with 65% of e-cigarette users reporting it as their primary device. E-cigarettes with replaceable pods and disposable e-cigarettes make up 17% and 15% of e-cigarette users' primary device types, respectively.

However, the use of disposable electronic cigarettes has increased, especially among young people. Among the 18-24 age group, nearly half of electronic cigarette users (48%) will use disposable products as their main type in 2022, up from 2.8% in 2021.

For those who have tried e-cigarettes and used pods, JUUL has become the most popular brand since 2021 (19%), followed by Logic (17%), Vuse (16%), Vype (16%), and blu (14%).

Only 0.9% of adult nicotine users consume electronic liquids that exceed the legal limit of 20 milligrams per milliliter.

Among current e-cigarette users, 50% say the strength of the e-liquid they use is the same as when they first started, while 38% have lowered the strength and only 4.2% have increased it over time. Smokers who have quit are the most likely to report using e-liquids with lower strength compared to when they first started using e-cigarettes, with 50% reporting such usage.

The charity's deputy CEO, Hazel Cheeseman, has welcomed the increasing number of smokers turning to e-cigarettes, stating: "The number of e-cigarette users is now five times what it was in 2012, with millions using them as part of their quit smoking journey. However, they are not suitable for everyone, with less than half of those who have tried them successfully quitting smoking and 28% not even attempting to try.

Smoking and health advocates are urging all former users of electronic cigarettes to give them another try, as the charity believes the product has improved over time.

Electronic cigarettes can serve as a lifeline for those trying to quit smoking. However, relying solely on vaping is not the solution to the smoking epidemic. The issue of youth e-cigarette use needs to be addressed, and broader efforts to tackle smoking must be taken, as vaping is not suitable for everyone. It is time for the government to take action.

The government has stated that the "e-cigarette revolution" will help them achieve their ambitious goal of becoming a smoke-free nation by 2030. However, they acknowledge that this alone is not enough and that a comprehensive plan is needed to assist all smokers.

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