Study: 90% of Smokers unaware Vaping less harmful than Smoking
Last month, June 2021, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) welcomed the launch of a consultation by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on revised tobacco guidance, including updated advice for healthcare professionals on what to say to smokers interested in vaping as an alternative to traditional cigarettes.
The guidance has been well received after a survey by YouGov for Ash, a health charity working to eliminate the harm caused by tobacco use, revealed that 30% of smokers have never tried e-cigarettes. That’s roughly equal to around 1.7 million people in England. And only one in ten smokers (12%) know that e-cigs are much less harmful than smoking. Of the remainder, a third (32%) think they’re more or equally harmful, one in four (24%) don’t know and 30% think they’re less harmful, but don’t realise that they are a lot less harmful.
Declared 95% safer than smoking by Public Health England in 2015, vaping has become the go-to smoking cessation method for 3.6 million ex-smokers in the UK, like Ralph, aged 59. A smoker since his early teens, Ralph decided to stop smoking during the first lockdown of 2020, having tried to quit previously but never succeeded for long. For him, e-cigarettes alongside advice from health professionals made all the difference. He started using an e-cigarette before meeting with an NHS stop smoking advisor who supported his choice and provided him with further medication and support.
“Vaping’s made the difference for me, after decades of smoking, finally I’ve been able to quit”
“It was really helpful that the stop smoking advisor was supportive when I said I was trying vaping,” said Ralph. “I’d found a vape with a sealed capsule that worked for me. It doesn’t leak, it’s quite small and unobtrusive and doesn’t produce loads of vapour. It just gives me a little nicotine hit when I need it. It’s not the same as smoking but it does give you something to do with your hands. Vaping’s made the difference for me, after decades of smoking, finally I’ve been able to quit.”
Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive of ASH said: “With support and encouragement from health professionals, more smokers would use an e-cigarette to help them stop, increasing the overall number who successfully quit long-term. This would be another step forward to securing the Government ambition for England to be Smokefree by 2030.”
If you’re a smoker looking to switch the harms of cigarettes for the far safer alternative that is Vaping, you’ll find everything you need to begin enjoying vaping here at Vapestore.
Read our Blog on the Easiest Vape Kits to start Vaping
From simple disposables and pod kits that make vaping fuss-free and easy to get started with, to thousands of delicious e-liquid flavours, Vapestore is your gateway to a safer, more rewarding and endlessly satisfying replacement for smoking.
If you have any questions about vaping or would like advice on choosing the best UK vape kit and UK e-liquid for you, you can contact our friendly, expert customer advice team. Click here for Customer Services.
