2 in 3 adults who use e-cigs want to stop

Nearly two-thirds of American adults who use electronic cigarettes want to quit using the devices, a new study finds.

About 10 million adults use e-cigarettes, but this examination of data from a representative sample of those users found that more than 60% said they want to quit using the devices, and 16% said they planned to quit in the next month.

Relative harm

More than 25% said they'd tried to quit using e-cigarettes in the past year, according to the Rutgers University study. It was published in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research.

Most US adults who use e-cigarettes also smoke traditional cigarettes, and many use e-cigarettes to try to quit traditional cigarettes.

"Most of the discussion about e-cigarettes has focused on the relative harm as compared to traditional cigarettes, the efficacy of e-cigarettes as a cessation device, and the alarming increase of their use in children," said study co-author Marc Steinberg, director of the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School's Tobacco Research and Intervention Lab.

"In addition to those issues, our data suggests that e-cigarette users do not want to use these devices forever. Eventually, they want to stop using e-cigarettes the same way a traditional smoker wants to quit smoking cigarettes," Steinberg added in a school news release.

Associated with reduced harm

"The strategies that people reported using to quit e-cigarettes include many of the strategies we recommend for quitting traditional cigarettes, such as FDA-approved nicotine replacement products or medications, counselling, and social support," said study author Rachel Rosen, a graduate student in the department of psychology.

"While e-cigarettes may be associated with reduced harm as compared to combustible cigarettes, they also are potentially addicting and the e-cigarette aerosol still contains toxic substances," Rosen said.

"As e-cigarette use continues to increase and as more e-cigarette users want to quit, it will be important to be ready to help those who may have difficulty stopping on their own," she concluded.

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