Vapers have the highest success rates when quitting smoking

This study, conducted by researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and the Rutgers School of Public Health, finds that Vaping helped smokers kick the habit by almost double the rate of other methods.

“While questions regarding the efficacy of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation remain, our findings suggest that frequent e-cigarette use may play an important role in cessation or relapse prevention for some smokers.” says lead researcher Daniel Giovenco, PhD. (

an assistant professor of Sociomedical Sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health.)

“The FDA recently delayed rules that would have limited e-cigarettes on the market." Dr. Giovenco continues, "This indicates that public health officials may be receptive to innovative and lower-risk nicotine products. Uncovering patterns of use at the population level is a critical first step in determining if they may present any benefits to public health.”

When collecting the data, the researchers took into account the participants’ desire to quit smoking, and variables such as level of education, health insurance, and age. Yet, the likelihood of quitting smoking was found to be at least three times higher amongst regular vapers, while smokers who vaped occasionally were less likely to quit. 

The results show that in the last five years more than half of regular e-cigarette users have managed to quit cigarettes as opposed to only 28% of those who have never tried using the devices.

The data was collected from the 2014 and 2015 National Health Interview Survey. The survey is an annual cross sectional household study. The sample size was restricted to current smokers and former smokers who quit from 2010 onwards. 

Studies like this are extremely important in the fight for harm-reduction. There is a high demand for more information on the specific effects vaping has on Smoking rates in the US and globally.

Keep this is mind the next time someone tells you that vaping hasn't been shown to increase quit rates among smokers.