Incidence of Cigarette Smoking Relapse Among Individuals Who Switched to e-Cigarettes or Other Tobacco Products

Source:

Pierce JP, Chen R, Kealey S, et al. Incidence of Cigarette Smoking Relapse Among Individuals Who Switched to e-Cigarettes or Other Tobacco Products. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(10):e2128810. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.28810

Key Points

Question  Is switching to e-cigarettes associated with prevention of relapse to cigarette smoking?

Findings  In this cohort study of a representative sample of US adults, 9.4% of respondents who smoked cigarettes became recent former smokers 1 year later. Switching to any tobacco product including e-cigarettes was associated with an 8.5% increase in relapse to smoking over the next year; this increase in relapse was similar to that seen in individuals who switched to other tobacco products.

Meaning  Switching to e-cigarettes is not associated with relapse prevention for cigarette smoking in US adults.