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• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

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• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

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• Reference Manager
• EndNote
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Smoking reduction remains a pivotal issue in public health policy, but reductions in smoking prevalence have stagnated during the last decade. Several behavioral and pharmacological smoking cessation therapies exist, but these therapies mostly imply total abstinence from any kind of nicotine/tobacco use, a goal which is not always attainable or desirable for some smokers. Therefore, quit rates for these therapies remain disappointingly low. Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR), aiming at less harmful ways of consuming tobacco and/or nicotine, may provide a more realistic and effective alternative. One promising candidate for THR is to use an electronic cigarette (e-cig).The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of e-cigs both in terms of acute craving-reduction in the lab and in terms of smoking reduction, and experienced benefits and complaints in a clinical trial. Participants unwilling to quit smoking were recruited and divided into two e-cig groups and one control group. During the two-month period of the lab studies, participants were invited three times to the lab and were asked to be abstinent from smoking/vaping four hours before each session. During the lab sessions participants vaped or smoked for five minutes, after which we repeatedly examined the effect on craving and withdrawal symptoms. Two objective physiological measurements (eCO and saliva cotinine levels) were also included. In between these lab sessions, participants in the e-cig groups could vape or smoke ad lib, whereas the control group could only smoke. After the lab sessions, the control group also received an e-cig. The clinical trial included several questionnaires which participants needed to fill out several times between the lab sessions, plus three (Follow-up 1) and six months (Follow-up 2) after the last lab session. The questionnaires monitored the effect of ad lib e-cig use on the use of tobacco cigarettes and the experienced benefits and complaints.E-cig use after being four...

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Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) aims at supporting alternative ways to give people a dose of nicotine, while limiting the exposure to adverse effects of tobacco. Smokeless tobacco products, such as the electronic cigarette (e-cig), can aid in this cause. The e-cig has already proven its efficacy, not only in reducing the number of daily smoked tobacco cigarettes, but also in the nicotine craving reduction in the short term. On both of these aspects, the efficacy of the e-cig is as good or even better compared to the classical smoking cessation devices (nicotine patch, nicotine gum,...). The main difference is that a lot of the stimuli associated with regular smoking, are still provided in the use of an e-cig. The aim of this study is to examine the impact of four variables (conditioned stimuli) of the e-cig on cigarette and e-cig craving reduction after an abstinence period. In addition the impact on the self-reported pleasantness of the vaping experience was assessed. The four variables are the nicotine level, the sensorimotor component, the visual aspects and the flavor. Also, this study investigates the impact on the number of daily smoked cigarettes and the intention to quit in the long term. To address these questions the participants could try the e-cig for one week. At the end of this try-out period they were allowed to vape an experimental e-cig for five minutes after an abstinence period. The participants were asked how long they abstained from vaping and smoking. In addition a CO measure was taken as an objective indicator for this period. After five minutes of vaping the participants were asked to fill out questionnaires and self-report measures which assessed -among others- the craving and the pleasantness of the vaping experience. The impact on the number of daily smoked cigarettes was assessed in a follow-up questionnaire, three weeks after the start of the study. Vaping for five minutes after an abstinence period results in a significant cigarette and e-cig craving reduction. The amount of nicotine seems to be the most important factor in this effect, however, when no nicotine was present the craving was still reduced. In addition nicotine also interacts with the conditioned stimuli. The results indicate that the sensorimotor component and the visual aspects of the e-cig interact with nicotine to influence craving reduction. This interaction also seems to be influenced by passage of time. This supports the idea that the conditioned stimuli of smoking have an impact on the craving reduction. The analyses of the pleasantness showed that participants preferred to see and handle the e-cig. There is also a preference for an apple flavor. The follow-up data showed that the acquaintance with the e-cig results in a reduction in cigarette consumption, while the intention to quit remains unchanged.