Researchers are calling for e-cigarette vouchers to be offered to smokers to help them quit following a successful trial that saw more than 40% kick their habit.
Smokers in Norfolk who had struggled to quit cigarettes were referred to a specialist stop smoking service and given £25 vouchers to be exchanged for a vaping starter kit. They were offered advice and support but required to fund the ongoing cost of e-cigarettes themselves.
In total, 668 referred to the scheme between December 2019 and July 2021. Of the 668, 340 of them redeemed a voucher for a vape starter kit, 143 (42%) of which quit smoking cigarettes by four weeks.
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Researchers behind the scheme hope it can be rolled out nationally to help more smokers quit. According to the Government's Office for Health Improvement and Disaparities, the North East has the highest smoking rate in England, with 13.6% of adults in the region regularly smoking in 2021, compared to a national average of 12.1%.
Lead researcher Prof Caitlin Notley, from the University of East Anglia’s (UEA) Norwich Medical School, said: “Research shows that vaping is an effective way of quitting smoking, compared to nicotine replacement therapies like patches and gum.
“E-cigarettes or vapes are now the most popular way of stopping smoking. Our research has previously shown that they may be particularly helpful in helping people to not only quit, but to stay quit for good.
“We wanted to see whether GPs giving out vape shop vouchers, alongside support from the stop smoking service, can help smokers quit. We particularly wanted to target vulnerable and disadvantaged smokers who had failed to quit smoking by other means.”
She continued: “This scheme enabled 42% of entrenched smokers who redeemed a voucher to have successfully quit smoking at four weeks. This is especially important because it helped those who have tried and failed to quit smoking many times to move away from tobacco.
“Overall, the project was well received by smokers as it offered an affordable route into vaping. GPs supported the scheme and appreciated being able to offer an alternative to entrenched smokers.”
North East stop smoking charity Fresh has previously welcomed a 2021 report from Public Health England which highlighted how vaping can help smokers quit and is less harmful than smoking tobacco.
Ailsa Rutter OBE, Director of Fresh, stated: "The time has come for all health care professionals in particular to provide accurate information to smokers about the risks of continuing to smoke and to positively encourage them to stop including trying vaping as part of their options."
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