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E-cigarettes: an evidence update <br /> <br />10 <br />Policy implications <br />o Consideration could be given to a proactive strategy to encourage disadvantaged <br />smokers to quit smoking as quickly as possible including the use of EC, where <br />appropriate, to help reduce health inequalities caused by smoking. <br /> <br />o EC should not routinely be treated in the same way as smoking. It is not appropriate <br />to prohibit EC use in health trusts and prisons as part of smokefree policies unless <br />there is a strong rationale to do so. <br /> <br />Summary of Chapter 6: E-cigarettes and smoking behaviour <br />Recent studies support the Cochrane Review findings that EC can help people to quit <br />smoking and reduce their cigarette consumption. There is also evidence that EC can <br />encourage quitting or cigarette consumption reduction even among those not intending <br />to quit or rejecting other support. It is not known whether current EC products are more <br />or less effective than licensed stop smoking medications, but they are much more <br />popular, thereby providing an opportunity to expand the number of smokers stopping <br />successfully. Some English stop smoking services and practitioners support the use of <br />EC in quit attempts and provide behavioural support for EC users trying to quit smoking; <br />self-reported quit rates are at least comparable to other treatments. The evidence on <br />EC used alongside smoking on subsequent quitting of smoking is mixed. <br /> <br />Policy implications <br />o Smokers who have tried other methods of quitting without success could be <br />encouraged to try EC to stop smoking and stop smoking services should support <br />smokers using EC to quit by offering them behavioural support. <br /> <br />o Research should be commissioned in this area including: <br /> longitudinal research on the use of EC, including smokers who have not used <br />EC at the beginning of the study <br /> the effects of using EC while smoking (temporary abstinence, cutting down) on <br />quitting, and the effects of EC use among ex-smokers on relapse <br /> research to clarify the factors that i) help smokers using EC to quit smoking and <br />ii) deter smokers using EC from quitting smoking, including different EC <br />products/types and frequency of use and the addition of behavioural support, <br />and how EC compare with other methods of quitting which have a strong <br />evidence base <br /> <br />o It would be helpful if emerging evidence on EC (including different types of EC) and <br />how to use EC safely and effectively could be communicated to users and health <br />professionals to maximise chances of successfully quitting smoking.