ArticleDrug and alcohol dependence2015
Comparison of the characteristics of long-term users of electronic cigarettes versus nicotine replacement therapy: A cross-sectional survey of English ex-smokers and current smokers.
Article in Drug and alcohol dependence, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 3 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
16 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 27 citations in OpenAlex.
- Regulatory Approaches and Implementation of Minimally Addictive Combusted Products.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2022Pooled it
- I am what I am: A meta-analysis of the association between substance user identities and substance use-related outcomes.Psychology of addictive behaviors : journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors · 2021Pooled it
- Overview of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems: A Systematic Review.American journal of preventive medicine · 2017Pooled it
- Examining acute psychopharmacological effects of nicotine vaping versus heated tobacco products in a randomised crossover study of product naïve adult smokers.Scientific reports · 2023Trial
- Toxicant and Nicotine Exposure in Pregnant Smokers, Vapers, and Nicotine-Replacement Users: Cross-Sectional Study.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2025Article
- Intentions to Seek Information about E-Cigarettes: Perceived Risk, Efficacy, and Smoking Identity.Journal of health communication · 2021Article
- Indicators of dependence and efforts to quit vaping and smoking among youth in Canada, England and the USA.Tobacco control · 2021Article
- Perceived Safety and Effectiveness of Electronic Cigarettes among Malaysian Adults and Public Support for Regulations.Journal of pharmacy & bioallied sciences · 2020Article
- An online survey of Malaysian long-term e-cigarette user perceptions.Tobacco induced diseases · 2020Article
- Indicators of cigarette smoking dependence and relapse in former smokers who vape compared with those who do not: findings from the 2016 International Tobacco Control Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2019Article
- Premenstrual symptoms and factors implicated in smoking cessation among woman smokers.Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology · 2017Article
- A review of implicit and explicit substance self-concept as a predictor of alcohol and tobacco use and misuse.The American journal of drug and alcohol abuse · 2017Review
- Electronic cigarettes: what are they and what do they do?Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 2017Review
- Nicotine, Carcinogen, and Toxin Exposure in Long-Term E-Cigarette and Nicotine Replacement Therapy Users: A Cross-sectional Study.Annals of internal medicine · 2017Article
- Reasons for Using Electronic Cigarettes and Intentions to Quit Among Electronic Cigarette Users in Malaysia.Journal of community health · 2016Article
- 'A good method of quitting smoking' or 'just an alternative to smoking'? Comparative evaluations of e-cigarette and traditional cigarette usage by dual users.Health psychology openArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundElectronic cigarettes (ECs) and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) are non-combustible nicotine delivery devices being widely used as a partial or a complete long-term substitute for smoking. Little is known about the characteristics of long-term users, their smoking behaviour, attachment to smoking, experience of nicotine withdrawal symptoms, or their views on these devices. This study aimed to provide preliminary evidence on this and compare users of the different products.
methodsUK participants were recruited from four naturally occurring groups of long-term (≥6 months) users of either EC or NRT who had stopped or continued to smoke (N=36 per group, total N=144). Participants completed a questionnaire assessing socio-demographic and smoking characteristics, nicotine withdrawal symptoms, smoker identity and attitudes towards the products they were using.
resultsAdjusting for relevant confounders, EC use was associated with a stronger smoker identity (Wald X(2)(1)=3.9, p=0.048) and greater product endorsement (Wald X(2)(1)=4.6, p=0.024) than NRT use, irrespective of smoking status. Among ex-smokers, EC users reported less severe mood and physical symptoms (Wald X(2)(1)=6.1, p=0.014) and cravings (Wald X(2)(1)=8.5, p=0.003), higher perceived helpfulness of the product (Wald X(2)(1)=4.8, p=0.028) and lower intentions to stop using the product (Wald X(2)(1)=17.6, p<0.001) than NRT users.
conclusionsCompared with people who use NRT for at least 6 months, those who use EC over that time period appear to have a stronger smoker identity and like their products more. Among long-term users who have stopped smoking, ECs are perceived as more helpful than NRT, appear more effective in controlling withdrawal symptoms and continued use may be more likely.
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What OpenQuestion holds
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.