New scientific studies are helping prove the case for e-cigarettes as a viable solution to smoking cessation.
Recent research published in the New England Journal of Medicine, one of the world’s leading medical journals, concluded that e-cigarettes were more effective in helping smokers quit than traditional nicotine-replacement therapy products.
The study followed 886 smokers who were seeking government assistance to stop smoking. They were randomly assigned to use either e-cigarettes or NRTs like patches, gums, and lozenges. Both groups also attended weekly counseling sessions.
After one year, 18 percent of e-cigarette users had successfully quit smoking compared to 9.9 percent of those using NRTs. In addition, more e-cigarette users reduced their smoking
by at least 50 percent, while e-cigarette users also reported higher satisfaction and rated the device as more helpful than NRTs.
The study prompted local advocacy groups to urge the Department of Health to view the results as sound evidence that e-cigarettes can help reduce smoking rates in the country.
According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey, there are more than 16.6 million Filipino tobacco smokers, of whom 76.7 percent planned or were thinking about quitting. About 56.5 percent visited a healthcare provider in the past 12 months and were advised to quit smoking. However, only less than four percent were are to successfully quit.
Countries like the United Kingdom and Canada, where e-cigarettes are regulated rather than banned, are seeing historic reductions in smoking prevalence and a resulting decrease in tobacco-related deaths.
Similar to those countries’ stand is the City Ordinance 2737-2018 of Quezon City approved by mayor Herbert Bautista that will help keep e-cigarettes in the hands of smokers who choose less harmful alternatives to cigarettes.
The inclusion of strict prohibitions in the regulation, particularly on the sale and purchase of e-cigarettes by the youths was expected to help keep them away from the product.
