Effect of vaping on past‐year smoking cessation success of Australians in 2019—evidence from a national survey

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Previous analyses of the effect of e‐cigarettes on real world smoking cessation success have mainly been based on surveys undertaken in the United States and United Kingdom, where nicotine e‐cigarettes can be readily obtained. In Australia, regulations have made obtaining e‐cigarettes containing nicotine difficult. The effectiveness of e‐cigarette use as a smoking cessation aid in Australia might therefore be lower than survey‐based estimates published to date. This study aimed to estimate the effect of using e‐cigarettes for a smoking cessation attempt on past‐year smoking cessation success in Australia. DESIGN: Multivariable logistic regression models for past‐year smoking cessation success. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Respondents to the 2019 wave of Australia's National Drug Strategy Household Survey who made a smoking cessation attempt in the 12 months leading up to the survey. MEASUREMENTS: Past‐year smoking cessation success was assumed if a smoking cessation attempt resulted in abstinence of more than a month at the time of the survey. FINDINGS: In 2019, Australians who attempted to quit smoking using e‐cigarettes achieved greater success than smokers attempting to quit without e‐cigarettes [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.68; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.09–2.60]. If people who only tried e‐cigarettes once or twice are considered not to have used e‐cigarettes, the estimated effect was slightly stronger (aOR = 1.98; 95% CI = 1.27–3.10). Also, the estimated odds ratio was higher among vapers who acquired their e‐cigarettes from overseas websites (aOR = 2.24; 95% CI = 1.02–4.93). CONCLUSIONS: Use of e‐cigarettes for a smoking cessation attempt appears to be associated with greater success among Australians who attempted to quit tobacco in 2019 compared with Australians attempting to quit without e‐cigarettes, after adjusting for confounding effects.