Electronic cigarette effectiveness to quit smoking in the representative Italian population PASSI survey, 2014 - 2016

Background This study explored electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use as an aid to quit smoking and compared abstinence rates for different quitting methods in a representative sample of the Italian population, 2014-2016. Methods In the 2014-2015 PASSI survey, the ongoing Italian behavioural risk factor surveillance system, 6,112 adults who smoked and made at least one quit attempt in the previous 12 months, were categorised into three groups according to the method used in their most recent quit attempt: ecigarette only, no aid, other quitting methods (medications; programmes delivered in smoking cessation services; other unspecified methods). The primary outcome was self-reported abstinence for a period ≥6 months, adjusted for potential confounders. We will perform the same analysis for 2016 Passi survey. Results Eleven percent used e-cigarettes only, 86% no aid, 3% other quitting methods. Smoking abstinence was reported among 9% of those using no aid; 8% of e-cigarette users; 15% of those using other methods. Compared with those reporting no aid to quit smoking, no statistically significant differences in abstinence were observed for e-cigarette users compared with those reporting no aid (adjusted Prevalence Ratio [aPR]=0.81;95% Confidence Interval (CI)=0.58-1.14), neither for those using other quitting methods (aPR=1.42;95%CI=0.95-2.13). Changing the reference group to e-cigarette users, users of other quitting methods were significantly more likely to report abstinence than e-cigarette users e-cigarette users (aPR=1.76; 95%CI=1.07-2.88). We will add results for the 2016 Passi survey. Conclusions One out of ten smokers who attempted to quit in 2014-2015 in Italy used e-cigarettes, a proportion three times higher than that recorded for other quitting methods. E-cigarettes users were no more as likely to report abstinence than as those using no aid, but were less likely to report abstinence than users of established quitting methods. Further studies are needed to understand the relationship between e-cigarette types used to quit and abstinence rates