SynthesisPloS one2015
E-cigarettes and smoking cessation: evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 121 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
121 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Effectiveness of e-cigarettes as a stop smoking intervention in adults: a systematic review.Systematic reviews · 2024Pooled it
- Does Aerobic Exercise Facilitate Vaping and Smoking Cessation: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials with Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Smoking Prevalence among Physicians: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- Reporting and methodological quality of systematic literature reviews evaluating the associations between e-cigarette use and cigarette smoking behaviors: a systematic quality review.Harm reduction journal · 2021Pooled it
- Metal/Metalloid Levels in Electronic Cigarette Liquids, Aerosols, and Human Biosamples: A Systematic Review.Environmental health perspectives · 2020Pooled it
- How do we determine the impact of e-cigarettes on cigarette smoking cessation or reduction? Review and recommendations for answering the research question with scientific rigor.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2018Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Overview of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems: A Systematic Review.American journal of preventive medicine · 2017Pooled it
- E-cigarettes and smoking cessation in real-world and clinical settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis.The Lancet. Respiratory medicine · 2016Pooled it
- Cardiopulmonary effects of combustible cigarettes and e-cigarettes in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology · 2026Trial
- [Differential effects of computerized cognitive stimulation versus stimulating leisure activities on mood and global cognition in adults with subjective and mild cognitive impairment: A randomized controlled trial].Anales del sistema sanitario de Navarra · 2025Trial
- Analyzing Trajectories of Acute Cigarette Reduction Post-Introduction of an E-Cigarette Using Ecological Momentary Assessment Data.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Trial
- To vape or not to vape? Effects of exposure to conflicting news headlines on beliefs about harms and benefits of electronic cigarette use: Results from a randomized controlled experiment.Preventive medicine · 2017Trial
- A Pilot Randomized Crossover Trial of Electronic Cigarette Sampling Among Smokers.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2017Trial
- A transdisciplinary model to inform randomized clinical trial methods for electronic cigarette evaluation.BMC public health · 2016Trial
- Evaluation of Post Cessation Weight Gain in a 1-Year Randomized Smoking Cessation Trial of Electronic Cigarettes.Scientific reports · 2016Trial
- Nicotine influence on cerebrovascular and neurocognitive function with in utero electronic cigarette exposure.The Journal of physiology · 2025Article
- Interactions between ENDS and cigarette use: evidence from a 2022 national telephone survey in South Africa.Tobacco control · 2025Article
- The prevalence and predictors of vaping quit attempt among electronic cigarette users: findings from provincial version of Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2020 in Vietnam.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Young adults' visual attention to features of social media marketing for disposable e-cigarettes and associated perceptions.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2025Article
61 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundE-cigarettes are currently being debated regarding their possible role in smoking cessation and as they are becoming increasingly popular, the research to date requires investigation.
objectivesTo investigate whether the use of e-cigarettes is associated with smoking cessation or reduction, and whether there is any difference in efficacy of e-cigarettes with and without nicotine on smoking cessation. DATA SOURCES: A systematic review of articles with no limit on publication date was conducted by searching PubMed, Web of Knowledge and Scopus databases.
methodsPublished studies, those reported smoking abstinence or reduction in cigarette consumption after the use of e-cigarettes, were included. Studies were systematically reviewed, and meta-analyses were conducted using Mantel-Haenszel fixed-effect and random-effects models. Degree of heterogeneity among studies and quality of the selected studies were evaluated.
resultsSix studies were included involving 7,551 participants. Meta-analyses included 1,242 participants who had complete data on smoking cessation. Nicotine filled e-cigarettes were more effective for cessation than those without nicotine (pooled Risk Ratio 2.29, 95%CI 1.05-4.97). Amongst 1,242 smokers, 224 (18%) reported smoking cessation after using nicotine-enriched e-cigarettes for a minimum period of six months. Use of such e-cigarettes was positively associated with smoking cessation with a pooled Effect Size of 0.20 (95%CI 0.11-0.28). Use of e-cigarettes was also associated with a reduction in the number of cigarettes used. LIMITATIONS: Included studies were heterogeneous, due to different study designs and gender variation. Whilst we were able to comment on the efficacy of nicotine vs. non-nicotine e-cigarettes for smoking cessation, we were unable to comment on the efficacy of e-cigarettes vs. other interventions for cessation, given the lack of comparator groups in the studies included in this meta-analysis.
conclusionsUse of e-cigarettes is associated with smoking cessation and reduction. More randomised controlled trials are needed to assess effectiveness against other cessation methods.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.