Abstract
Using electronic cigarettes (vaping) is controversial, but is increasingly widespread. This paper reports the results of an electronic survey of vapers in New Zealand, a country where the sale and supply of e-liquids containing nicotine is illegal, although vapers can legally access e-liquids from overseas. An on-line survey was conducted, using vaper and smoking cessation networks for recruitment, with follow up surveys conducted 1 and 2 months after the initial survey. 218 participants were recruited. Almost all had been smokers, but three quarters no longer smoked, with the remainder having significantly reduced their tobacco use. Three participants were non-smokers before starting to vape, but none had gone on to become smokers. The overriding motivation to begin and continue vaping was to stop or to reduce smoking. The results were consistent with a progression from initially both vaping and smoking using less effective electronic cigarette types, then moving to more powerful devices, experimentation with flavors and nicotine strengths—all resulting in reducing or stopping tobacco use. Lack of access to nicotine and lack of support for their chosen cessation method were the main problems reported. Vaping had resulted in effective smoking cessation for the majority of participants.
Highlights
Vaping (using an electronic vaporiser or e-cigarette (e-cig)) is a relatively new behavior that has spread throughout the world’s tobacco smokers [1,2,3]
We report here the results of an electronic survey of New Zealand vapers, (January to April 2016) part of a wider study to explore the ways these vapers use e-cigs and the effects of this use on themselves, and on those around them
The second and third questionnaires asked for updated information on the type of devices and e-liquid flavors being used, nicotine strength, whether the participant had smoked at all in the previous 24 h, and whether the amount they were vaping and the amount they were smoking had increased or decreased
Summary
Vaping (using an electronic vaporiser or e-cigarette (e-cig)) is a relatively new behavior that has spread throughout the world’s tobacco smokers [1,2,3]. The appeal of vaping, for people who either cannot or do not want to stop smoking, lies in reduced harm (and cost in some jurisdictions) [4,5,6]. Whilst maintaining a sufficiently similar, or superior, experience to smoking tobacco [7,8]. Six million people are expected to die from smoking-related diseases [9]. Using e-cigs as a substitute for tobacco smoking has the potential to save many lives and reduce smoking-related morbidity [5]. As with many new technologies, e-cigs have been met with considerable skepticism and fear. A wide range of claims supporting calls to ban or heavily restrict vaping have been made [10,11]
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