Why and how do dual users quit vaping? Survey findings from adults who use electronic and combustible cigarettes

Abstract

INTRODUCTIONMost adults who use electronic cigarettes (ECs) also smoke combustible cigarettes (CCs). Quitting ECs appears common among dual users but little is known regarding adult dual users’ motivations and methods to quit ECs or how this relates to quitting CCs.METHODSWe used Amazon Mechanical Turk, a web-based crowd-sourcing service, to survey 366 US adults with a history of regular EC and CC use. This analysis examined motivations and methods to quit both products among a subset of 204 (55.7%) respondents with dual use and a history of one or more attempts to quit ECs.RESULTSMost respondents (95%) were using ECs at the time of this survey and had a lifetime median of five EC quit attempts. The most common motivations to quit ECs were health (74%), money/cost (45%), and to reduce risk of COVID-19 (25%). The most common EC quit methods were cutting down (68%), getting advice from a doctor (28%), quitting 'cold turkey' (24%), nicotine replacement therapy (24%), and switching to ECs with less nicotine (24%). Most motivations and methods to quit ECs and CCs were moderately to highly correlated, suggesting similarity in dual users’ approach to quitting the two products.CONCLUSIONSDual users had a range of motivations and methods to quit ECs, most of which were similar to their motivations and methods to quit CCs. These findings support the need to develop treatment for adults motivated to quit ECs and demonstrate that dual users may currently engage in similar strategies to quit both products.