E-cigarettes are proving to be an attractive long-term alternative to conventional cigarettes. Although they may also help smokers to remain abstinent during their quit attempt, recent clinical trials with first generation e-cigarettes have shown only modest quit rates. Second generation devices may result in much higher quit rates. Their efficacy and safety in long-term smoking cessation and/or smoking reduction studies have never been investigated. In this prospective proof-of-concept study we monitored modifications in smoking habits of 50 regular smokers (unwilling to quit) who were asked to switch to a second generation device focusing on smoking reduction and smoking abstinence. Study participants were invited to attend a total of five study visits: at baseline, week-4, week-8, week-12 and week-24. Product usage, number of cigarettes smoked, and exhaled carbon monoxide (eCO) levels were measured at each visit. Smoking reduction and abstinence rates were calculated. Adverse events and participants' opinions of these products were also reviewed.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
40
1Centro per la Prevenzione e Cura del Tabagismo (CPCT), Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria "Policlinico-Vittorio Emanuele", Università di Catania,
Catania, Italy, Italy
reducers
sustained 50% reduction in the number of cig/day at week-24 from baseline (reducers)
Time frame: week-24 from baseline
heavy reducers and quitters
sustained 80% reduction in the number of cig/day (heavy reducers) and sustained smoking abstinence at week-24 (quitters)
Time frame: week-24 from baseline
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