Electronic cigarettes
About this PSP
The Electronic Cigarettes Priority Setting Partnership was established in 2018 by the UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies (UKCTAS) at the University of Nottingham to identify unanswered questions around the use of electronic cigarettes as a tool for smoking cessation and harm reduction.
The Electronic Cigarettes PSP Top 10 was published in September 2019.
See news from this PSP: December 2018, February 2019
Key documents
Electronic Cigarettes PSP Protocol
Top 10 priorities
- What are the long term effects of vaping? Compared to smoking, ex-smokers, never-smokers and NRT use?
- What effect do the ingredients, chemicals and flavourings have on health, and how does this differ from cigarettes?
- What effect does vaping in pregnancy (and when breastfeeding) have on the health outcomes of the fetus and baby, compared to smoking? Including any long term effects.
- How effective are e-cigarettes for smoking cessation in patients with mental health problems? And what effect do they have on mental health?
- What are the barriers and facilitators for e-cigarette use for smoking cessation? What different barriers may exist for those with mental health problems or heavily dependent smokers?
- How do e-cigarettes compare to other treatments for stopping smoking, in terms of effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, long-term abstinence, and relapse to smoking?
- What impact do restrictions on vaping (e.g. including vaping in smoke free policies; age limits; tank size) have on smoking behaviour and smoking cessation, as well as perceptions of harm from vaping?
- What testing should be done on the flavourings, ingredients and devices to ensure they are safe?
- Will prescribing e-cigarettes to pregnant smokers encourage smoking cessation, and reduce risk of relapse?
- What effect does second hand vape have on adults (including pregnant women), children and animals, and how does this compare to second hand smoke?
The following questions were also discussed and put in order of priority at the workshop:
- How are e-cigarettes represented in the media? And what impact does this have on public perceptions, attitudes and behaviours?
- Can advice from healthcare professionals lead to better outcomes for smoking cessation if accurate information is provided about e-cigarettes?
- How can e-cigarettes be incorporated into a smoking cessation programme or treatment guidelines? How will this differ for different populations?
- What impact do flavourings have on e-cigarette usage, smoking behaviour and health, in adults and children, and smokers and non-smokers?
- What are the short term effects of vaping? Compared to smoking, ex-smokers, never-smokers and NRT use?
- How can hospitals better support patients to stop or reduce their smoking with the use of e-cigarettes?
- How effective are e-cigarettes in pregnancy for smoking cessation? And compared to other treatment
- How addictive are e-cigarettes compared with regular cigarettes?
- What effect does vaping have on mental health, including any risks and benefits? In adults, children and young people.
- What are the health effects of vaping for never-smokers and ex-smokers?
- How can we motivate smokers to try e-cigarettes for smoking cessation?
- What are the views of healthcare professionals of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation (including in pregnancy)? And how can we improve knowledge?
- What is the best way to educate adults and children about vaping, and to provide information about vaping products and device safety (including battery safety)?
- How safe are e-cigarettes in pregnancy, compared to smoking and NRT use?
- What are the risks and benefits of nicotine consumption, and/or nicotine cessation?
- What are the impacts of vaping on indoor and outdoor air quality, and how does this compare to other air pollutants?
Document downloads
For full details of all of the questions identified by this PSP, please see the document below.