Health improvements

A study by BMC Public Health has concluded that health professionals should provide balanced information about the possible short- and long-term positive and negative health effects of electronic cigarette use.

The study, Perceived health effects of vaping among Hungarian adult e-cigarette-only and dual users: a cross-sectional internet survey, was said to have been aimed at exploring self-reported adverse events (AEs) and perceived health changes due to e-cigarette use among Hungarian adult e-cigarette-only users (former smokers who switched completely to e-cigarette use) and dual users (smokers who used e-cigarettes and combustible tobacco cigarettes concomitantly).

It was described as a cross-sectional, web-based survey of 1042 adult Hungarian e-cigarette users conducted in 2015, in which participants reported AEs and changes in physiological functions since they switched from smoking to e-cigarette use or while dually using e-cigarettes and combustible cigarettes. Confirmatory factor analysis with covariates was applied to explain perceived health changes due to e-cigarette-only use and dual use.

The results showed that dual users were significantly more likely to report AEs of vaping than were e-cigarette-only users. ‘Experiencing health improvements were significantly more likely among e-cigarette-only users than for dual users for all surveyed physiological functions, the study found.

‘E-cigarette-only users reported larger effects of vaping on sensory, physical functioning, and mental health factors compared to dual users.

‘Self-reported changes in sensory and physical functioning were significantly higher among individuals using e-cigarettes more than a year and people who were past heavy smokers (smoked ≥20 cigarettes per day).

‘Gender was related to sensory improvement only; males reported greater improvement than females.’

The researchers concluded that the majority of e-cigarette-only users reported more perceived beneficial changes in physiological functions and fewer AEs than did dual users.

‘Perceived short-term benefits of e-cigarette use may reinforce users despite the uncertainty of long-term health consequences,’ they concluded.

‘Health professionals should provide balanced information regarding the possible short- and long-term positive and negative health effects of e-cigarette use during consultations with patients.’