UCSF Study Finds E-Cigarettes Not Helping Smokers Quit
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – While electronic cigarettes have been marketed as a way to quit smoking cigarettes, a new study from UCSF finds vaping may have the opposite effect.
The study, published in the journal Lancet Respiratory Medicine, found that smokers who use e-cigarettes are 28 percent less likely to stop smoking cigarettes.
Researchers performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of dozens of published studies looking at the association between e-cigarette use and quitting smoking.
"The irony is that quitting smoking is one of the main reasons both adults and kids use e-cigarettes, but the overall effect is less, not more, quitting," UCSF School of Medicine professor and study co-author Stanton A. Glantz said in a university statement.
Last year, the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force found insufficient evidence to recommend e-cigarettes as a way for adults to quit smoking. UCSF said no e-cigarette manufacturers have submitted an application to the FDA to approve their devices for smoking cessation.
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association published last year found teens who use e-cigarettes are more likely to smoke conventional cigarettes and use tobacco products.
