E-cigarettes are still mainly favoured by existing smokers – and are not yet drawing in new nicotine addicts, according to a major European study published today.
The electronic alternative to tobacco is being heavily promoted and has sparked a mixed response from public health campaigners.
The latest study found that just 1.1% of non-smokers had tried e-cigarettes.
However, writing in the journal Tobacco Control, researchers warn that the products could still lead to the "re-normalisation" of smoking.
And a second study reveals the extent of the investment in the products by the tobacco industry as smoking rates decline across the continent.
Researchers studied survey returns from more than 26,000 people in 27 European countries.
The survey found that 20% of current smokers have tried e-cigarettes together with 4.4% of ex-smokers.
And the heaviest smokers were most likely to try switching to them – with high rates of use in Denmark. But just 3.74% of smokers regarded them as an aid to giving up the habit.
Researcher Dr Constantine Vardavas, of the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, writes: “On the one hand, quitting tobacco use at an earlier age would substantially benefit individuals and public health.
"However, the renormalisation of smoking or ‘vaping’ in this context, or maintained nicotine addiction, may significantly hinder efforts to stop tobacco use."
* A second study reveals that ten new brands and 240 new flavours of e-cigarette are becoming available on-line every month.
The study also found that new brands are being sold on the basis of "choice and versatility" whereas previously they were sold as substitutes for cigarettes.
Determinants and prevalence of e-cigarette use throughout the European Union: a secondary analysis of 26 566 youth and adults from 27 countries Tobacco Control 17 June 2014; doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2013-051394 [abstract]
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