Tag: University of East Anglia

  • Study: Flavored Vapes Could Help Teen Smokers Quit

    Study: Flavored Vapes Could Help Teen Smokers Quit

    New research suggests that flavored vaping products are much less harmful to young people than combustible cigarettes. They also have the potential to help current teen cigarette smokers quit.

    vaporizer and oranges
    Credit: Haiberliu

    A new study from researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) reported the views and experiences of more than 500,000 youth under the age of 18. Lead researcher, Caitlin Notley, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School, said the study was conducted because there was a lot of concern that young people may start vaping because they are attracted to e-liquid flavors, and that it could potentially lead them to start smoking tobacco.

    “We wanted to find out more about the links between vape flavors, the uptake of vaping among young people, and whether it leads to regular vaping and, potentially, tobacco smoking,” she said in a statement, adding that he research team studied all available evidence (58 studies) on the youth use of e-liquid flavors. “We found that flavored e-liquids are an important aspect of vaping that young people enjoy. This suggests that flavored products may encourage young people to switch away from harmful tobacco smoking towards less harmful vaping.”

    Flavored vaping products also did not cause vapers to move on to combustible products, according to the study. may be an important motivator for e-cigarette uptake – but we found no evidence that using flavored e-liquids attracted young people to go on to take up tobacco smoking. “And we also found no adverse effects or harm caused by using liquid vape flavors,” Notley said. “However, there is also a need to monitor flavor use to ensure that young people who have never smoked are not attracted to taking up vaping.”

    The team found that the overall quality of the evidence on use of e-cigarette flavors by young people was low. In particular, many studies did not clearly define e-liquid flavors and could not therefore be included within the review. The study was led by UEA in collaboration with researchers at University College London, the University of Bristol and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust.

    ‘Youth Use of E-Liquid Flavours – A systematic review exploring patterns of use of e liquid flavours and associations with continued vaping, tobacco smoking uptake, or cessation’ was published in the journal Addiction on Nov. 17, 2021.

  • U.K. Study to Offer Free E-Cigs to Homeless Smokers

    U.K. Study to Offer Free E-Cigs to Homeless Smokers

    A new study being conducted in the U.K. will offer homeless people free e-cigarette starter packs. The trial is aimed at helping them quit smoking. An estimated 70 percent of homeless people smoke combustible cigarettes, according to research from University of East Anglia (UEA).

    homeless man smoking
    Credit: Mat Hayward

    Homeless centers in five parts of the UK including London, Scotland and Wales will provide 480 contributors with starter kits or care group sessions, according to the BBC. The study will assess if e-cigarettes help participants quit smoking and whether it offers them value for money.

    Half of the contributors will be offered the e-cigarettes, while the other 240 people will be allocated to a care group. The project is being led by London South Bank University (LSBU) and University College London. Lynne Dawkins, a professor with LSBU, said that in an earlier trial the kits “worked well” and staff at homeless centers were able to support the study.

    The £1.7m project has been funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and is in collaboration with UEA, Kings College London, Queen Mary University of London, the University of York, Cardiff University, the University of Stirling and the University of Edinburgh. Caitlin Notley, a professor with UEA, said studies suggested e-cigarettes were “more helpful” than nicotine gum or patches when people tried to stop smoking.

    “If we find that providing free e-cigarette starter kits helps people to quit, homeless centers could decide to adopt this approach in future, to help reduce the impact of smoking-related diseases on the homeless,” she said.