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05/09/2014
Health Messages About E-Cigarettes Should Be Based On Facts - UCL
Public health messages about e-cigarettes should be based on facts, according to a new editorial from the University College London (UCL) public health experts.
The editorial, published in the British Journal of General Practice, assesses the current evidence on e-cigarettes and highlights ways in which it has been presented. It was written by Professor Robert West and Dr Jamie Brown from UCL's Department of Epidemiology & Public Health.
The authors estimate that for every million smokers who switch from tobacco to e-cigarettes, over 6,000 premature deaths would be prevented each year in the UK, even if people will continue to use e-cigarettes for life and e-cigarettes carry a significant risk of fatal diseases.
The editorial also dismisses the idea that e-cigarettes are 're-normalising'
smoking, either by increasing smoking rates or slowing the decline. The Smoking Toolkit Study, a monthly survey of smoking among people aged 16+ in England, shows that the introduction of e-cigarettes has been accompanied by an increase in quitting rates and a continued fall in the overall number of smokers.
Professor Robert West said: "Current e-cigarette use in young never-smokers is so rare that we cannot even test the idea that it could act as a gateway."
(CD/IT)
The editorial, published in the British Journal of General Practice, assesses the current evidence on e-cigarettes and highlights ways in which it has been presented. It was written by Professor Robert West and Dr Jamie Brown from UCL's Department of Epidemiology & Public Health.
The authors estimate that for every million smokers who switch from tobacco to e-cigarettes, over 6,000 premature deaths would be prevented each year in the UK, even if people will continue to use e-cigarettes for life and e-cigarettes carry a significant risk of fatal diseases.
The editorial also dismisses the idea that e-cigarettes are 're-normalising'
smoking, either by increasing smoking rates or slowing the decline. The Smoking Toolkit Study, a monthly survey of smoking among people aged 16+ in England, shows that the introduction of e-cigarettes has been accompanied by an increase in quitting rates and a continued fall in the overall number of smokers.
Professor Robert West said: "Current e-cigarette use in young never-smokers is so rare that we cannot even test the idea that it could act as a gateway."
(CD/IT)
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