In Devon, we are committed to providing an e-cigarette friendly stop smoking service. This means if smokers are looking to quit, but do not want to use the nicotine replacement therapy that advisers can prescribe, the stop smoking service can still provide behavioural support to complement smokers own use of e-cigarettes.
e-learning training resource
You can access an e-learning online module available from NCSCT for health professionals here.
More information
Public Health England’s Report on e-cigarettes (also known as vapourisers) estimated that vaping is around 95% safer than smoking. However this is not a well known fact amongst the public – in fact the public understanding of the relative harms of e-cigarettes have worsened over time and are less accurate today than they were in 2014 – there continue to be inaccurate perceptions that e-cigarettes are just as harmful as smoking. There is no substantial evidence that e-cigarettes cause significant harm to health, so therefore they can be a useful tool when stopping smoking for those who have tried other methods without success.
The NHS estimates that 2.9 million adults in Great Britain currently use electronic cigarettes (vape). This is a massive increase up from only 700,000 in 2012 as shown by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) in a survey of e-cigarette users.
The popularity of vaping often raises a number of concerns. One concern that has been voiced about e-cigarettes is that they may act as a gateway for young people into smoking tobacco. However, unlike in the US, current evidence shows that e-cigarettes are attracting very few people, indeed the vast majority of people who vape are ex-smokers or current smokers.
Public Health England has estimated that because of e-cigarettes, there are up to 57,000 additional quitters annually in England, who in the absence of the devices might still be smoking.
Smokers are four times more likely to quit successfully by using a combination of behavioural support and medication.
To find out more information about e-cigarettes, have a look at the following resources:
ASH Briefing: Electronic cigarettes. (December 2018)
E-cigarettes: an evidence update. A report commissioned by Public Health England. (August 2015)
ASH Factsheet: Use of electronic cigarettes (vapourisers) among adults in Great Britain. (May 2016)