British smokers have huge trust in e-cigarettes

Time： 2023-05-12

Smokers have a large trust gap in e-cigarettes - more than half now believe they are as harmful as cigarettes, or more, research shows. A UK poll of 2,000 smok...

Smokers have a large trust gap in e-cigarettes - more than half now believe they are as harmful as cigarettes, or more, research shows.

A UK poll of 2,000 smokers shows growing distrust of switching to vaping. Nearly 38% of those who lacked trust said it might prevent them from trying vaping to quit smoking in the future.

The government's independent Kahn Review says e-cigarettes play a central role in the country's smoke-free future, with more than 6.5 million smokers still in the UK. Evidence from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) last year reaffirmed that vaping is at least 95% less harmful than smoking.

But 29 percent only trust vaping as a way to quit smoking, while 13 percent don't believe it at all, according to One Poll's trust in vaping among adult smokers, commissioned by inhalation technology pioneer SMOORE.

Of those whose trust is declining, 35% say there is a lack of independent long-term clinical studies showing that vaping is less harmful than smoking. And 31% were concerned about the lack of any available information on the hazard profiles of different vaping products. Other factors contributing to the lack of trust include: negative reports and studies encountered by smokers, inconsistent attitudes towards vaping by governments around the world, a growing black market for vaping, and the World Health Organization's perception of vaping.

They needed to make an informed decision to switch, said Dr Chenxing Pei, senior aerosol engineer at SMOORE's Center for Analysis, Testing and Safety Evaluation.

"It is vital that smokers feel confident enough to switch to vaping, especially as Health Secretary Neil O'Brien says the government must harness the enormous potential of vaping to help adult smokers quit. "

"But cutting down or quitting is very difficult, and they have to be convinced that what they're trying is not going to be a waste of time."

"If e-cigarettes are to be seen as a reliable way to quit smoking, urgent efforts are needed to ensure smokers trust that these products will have the desired effects."

The study also revealed how to regain the trust of these smokers, 30% of whom claimed that a public health campaign promoting evidence-based facts could turn the tide. Better education of doctors and more advice on how e-cigarettes can be an effective way to reduce the harm of smoking is seen as another key way to build trust.

While 21% welcome the removal of advertising regulations for vaping companies - as long as they promote evidence from credible sources.

But 68% of smokers are still confused when it comes to knowing which products are suitable to help them quit. 70% of people now don’t know who to trust when it comes to vaping products.

Three quarters of smokers want information on the hazard profile of vaping products at the time of purchase.

Of those, 87 percent said it was important to know exactly what they were inhaling. Many are seeking clarification on the chemical composition (60%), carbon residue (46%) and heavy metal content (44%) in e-cigarettes.

However, among those who smoked and vaped, 74 percent initially started reducing their reliance on cigarettes, with 58 percent claiming they had been successful.

The research coincides with SMOORE establishing an independent think tank comprising science, cessation and compliance experts from the UK and US to lay the foundations for an industry-wide harm reduction rating system that can be communicated to consumers on product packaging or via QR code.

Dr. Ian Fearon, one of the panel's experts, who has held senior scientific and clinical roles at JUUL Labs and BAT, said: "The relative safety of vaping products compared to cigarettes smoked by the general public.

"The development of harm reduction labels may help smokers understand the potential risk reduction of vaping and encourage switching, in addition to reassuring vapers of the quality of the products they are using and allowing them to differentiate between different products."

Dr Pei added: "Government statistics last year showed that the proportion of smokers in the UK was at its lowest level on record, a decline largely attributable to the major role played by e-cigarettes.

"However, the findings of this study highlight the large trust gap that exists among adult smokers, and it is important for the vaping industry, governments, regulators and healthcare professionals to come together to close this gap and support smokers to quit It matters."

"It is clear that open and transparent communication is critical to this process and will be critical in supporting the government's ambition to make the country smoke-free."

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