Recently, a study published on the official website of the University of London, originally published in the journal "Addiction," funded by the British Cancer Research Society, examined survey data from 2016 to 2024.
A study has found that during this period, the proportion of people who both smoke and use e-cigarettes has increased from 3.5% (approximately 1 in 30 people) to 5.2% (approximately 1 in 20 people). This proportion has sharply risen since disposable e-cigarettes first became popular in 2021.
Among young people, the growth is most significant, with nearly two-thirds of smokers aged 18 to 24 also using e-cigarettes by 2024, compared to just one-fifth in 2016.
The research team also found a clear trend among dual users, where there was a shift from more frequent smoking to more frequent use of e-cigarettes. The proportion of daily smokers who did not use e-cigarettes daily decreased from 32% to 15%, while the proportion of daily e-cigarette users who did not smoke daily increased from 8% to 22%, more than doubling.
Researchers say this could be due to an increase in dual use among young people, who tend to use e-cigarettes more frequently than older adults but smoke less frequently. Dr. Sarah Jackson, the lead author of the study from the Institute of Epidemiology and Healthcare at University College London, stated, "Dual use of e-cigarettes and cigarettes is often a transitional phase for people attempting to quit smoking or reduce their smoking. Therefore, if this helps people stay away from smoking in the long term, it may not necessarily be detrimental to their health.
In our study, we found that dual users are transitioning from smoking more frequently to using e-cigarettes more frequently. This could be good news, as dual users can potentially reduce their health risks by increasing their use of e-cigarettes and decreasing smoking.
However, it is important for people to completely quit smoking in order to obtain the full health benefits. For this study, researchers used data from the Smoking Toolkit Study, which is a continuous survey that interviews a representative sample of adults in England each month. They looked at data from 128,588 adults (aged 18 and older) in England from 2016 to 2024.
A research team has found that dual users who mistakenly believe that e-cigarettes are as harmful or even more harmful than traditional cigarettes use e-cigarettes less frequently each day. Researchers say this is significant because daily e-cigarette use is associated with successfully quitting smoking, while non-daily use is not. Therefore, misconceptions about the harm of e-cigarettes may hinder these dual users from reducing or quitting smoking.
Nearly half of dual users (44%) mistakenly believe that e-cigarettes are as harmful or more harmful than traditional cigarettes. Professor Jamie Brown from the University College London Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care stated: "It is important to accurately convey information on the relative harms of smoking and using e-cigarettes so that people can make informed decisions about the products they use. Mass media campaigns should play a key role in this. Government investment in advertising is crucial for achieving the potential of a smoke-free generation policy.
Alice Froggatt, Policy Manager at Cancer Research UK, stated: "In the UK, tobacco is responsible for around 160 cancer cases every day. If you smoke, the best thing you can do for your health is to quit completely.
A study has shown that legal e-cigarettes are much less harmful than tobacco and can help people quit smoking permanently. While it is important for them to be convenient for those trying to quit smoking, they should not fall into the hands of children or be used by those who have never smoked before. In order to help end cancer caused by tobacco, the government must provide continuous funding for cessation services.
Although the proportion of people using e-cigarettes daily and those who do not smoke every day has increased recently, the most common dual-use pattern remains smoking and daily e-cigarette use. This pattern is expected to account for 45% of dual users by 2024. It is more prevalent among older individuals, those of lower socioeconomic status, and those who primarily smoke hand-rolled cigarettes and have a stronger desire to smoke.
The study found that non-daily smoking and daily e-cigarette use are more common among those who have been using e-cigarettes for over a year. Researchers suggest that this discovery is consistent with the possibility that using e-cigarettes may support individuals in transitioning from smoking, even without being in a formal smoking cessation attempt. The UK National Health Service (NHS) advises that using e-cigarettes can help people quit smoking, and while the risks of using e-cigarettes are smaller than smoking, non-smokers should not use e-cigarettes.
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