Under embargo until Friday 5 June, 4pm
People from lower socioeconomic groups in England have
higher rates of e-cigarette use compared with more affluent
groups among those who have quit smoking,
according to a new UCL-led study.
The study, published today in JAMA Network
Open and funded by Cancer Research UK (CRUK), analysed
data from 34,442 people aged 16 and over who had formerly
smoked.
The research team set out to find whether socio-economic
position was associated with long-term ex-smokers use of
e-cigarettes and whether the use changed over time. Long-term
ex-smokers were defined as those who had given up smoking for
more than one year.
They found that e-cigarette use increased from 3.3% in 2014
to 10.4% in 2019 for all long-term ex-smokers, but was around 60%
more likely among those from disadvantaged groups. In 2019, 13.5%
of those in lower socio-economic groups reported using
e-cigarettes compared to 8.2% in more affluent
groups.
The research team also found that it was rare for people to
take up e-cigarettes after they had quit smoking. For
example, of those who had quit smoking before 2011, only 0.8% in
2014 and 2.1% in 2019 reported using e-cigarettes. In this
subgroup, there was no evidence of a link between socio-economic
status and e-cigarette use.
Lead author, PhD candidate, Loren Kock (UCL Epidemiology
& Health Care) explained: “Our previous research has shown
that the use of e-cigarettes during a quit attempt is similar
across different socioeconomic groups. However, this new work
highlights that there is a difference in use by long-term
ex-smokers.
“Our results suggest that more affluent ex-smokers are
using e-cigarettes during a smoking quit attempt before
discontinuing their use. In contrast, a greater proportion of
ex-smokers in lower socio-economic groups may continue to use
e-cigarettes following their smoking quit attempt.
“Socio-economically disadvantaged smokers are thought to be
more dependent on nicotine, due to generally taking up smoking at
a younger age and smoking more cigarettes per day and such
dependence might encourage greater use of e-cigarettes following
quitting for pleasure, to satisfy cravings and potentially
prevent relapse to smoking.”
Co-author, Professor Jamie Brown (UCL Epidemiology &
Health Care and Co-Director of
the UCL Tobacco and Alcohol
Research Group) added: “We know
e-cigarettes help people to quit smoking and are much less
harmful than cigarettes. However further research is needed to
understand the consequences of longer-term use by former smokers,
particularly whether e-cigarette smoking affects a later return
to cigarette smoking."
