Study finds vapor helps smokers quit

A study conducted by researchers at the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center in Athens, the National School of Public Health and the University of Patra in Greece and the University of Macedonia, which involved a sample of 2,568 former and current smokers in Attica, showed that 40 percent of respondents who quit smoking since 2014 reported using or having used vapor products. 

Lead researcher Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos said “[o]nce again, the assessment of scientific data shows that Greece is the most successful country in the world in terms of the positive effects of electronic cigarettes on reducing smoking in the population.”

He added that global research shows that vapor product users are up to 11 times more likely to stop smoking, compared to those who do not use the devices. Farsalinos said “[t]he findings are extremely important, especially if we consider that our country has the highest prevalence of smoking in Europe.”

The study also indicated that 36.2 percent of vapor product users are also tobacco smokers, 62.2 percent are former smokers, while 0.2 percent have never smoked.