Study: Smokers choose alternative heated products to quit smoking

2024-09-23 10:29:09 TiranaPost

Switching from traditional cigarettes brings benefits to public health. Scientific studies show that the harmful effects of smoking come mainly from the combustion process, which alternative products avoid, enabling the minimization of the risk.

A recent study has revealed an increase in the number of smokers who have quit smoking and turned to alternative products, which are considered less harmful. The study, with a sample of 4,514 adults, refuted all claims that alternative products serve as motivation to start smoking.

Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey indicate that 99.4% of users of alternative products have either switched from traditional cigarettes or are dual users, with only 0.6% being new smokers. The researchers said that rapid acceptance in global markets of alternative products serves tobacco regulatory policies.

Heated tobacco or e-cigarettes are smokeless products designed to eliminate combustion in the delivery of nicotine. The US Food and Drug Administration said that tobacco smoke contains thousands of chemicals, and it is this mixture of chemicals – not nicotine – that causes serious health problems. Unlike traditional cigarettes, which burn tobacco, alternative products heat it, which translates into reduced chemical harm.

This innovative technology offers an alternative for adult smokers, who can continue smoking with less risk to their health. The President of the Nicotine Consumers Union of the Philippines, Antion Israel, also commented on the said study. He said that this discovery demonstrates that technology can mitigate the risks associated with tobacco consumption as well as influence the fight against disinformation.

"Nicotine is not the key problem, it is the way the chemicals are distributed during the burning of the cigarette. Smoke-free products eliminate the damage caused by smoke," he said.

Traditional cigarettes burn tobacco at high temperatures, producing smoke and ash that contain toxic substances. The opposite happens with alternative products, which heat tobacco by releasing a nicotine-containing vapor instead of smoke.

Tobacco-related diseases are responsible for over 8 million deaths each year, underscoring the urgent need for safer methods of nicotine delivery. Studies have shown that smokeless products release aerosols or vapors with 95% fewer harmful chemicals than the smoke produced by traditional cigarettes. Union President Anton Israel also emphasized that smokeless products like HTPs, along with vapors and nicotine patches, allow smokers to reduce harm by avoiding their exposure to toxic chemicals.

The study concluded that teenagers are more likely to start smoking with traditional cigarettes than with alternative products. Among the study participants, 2,356 were non-smokers, 1,316 were traditional cigarette smokers and 842 were users of alternative products.

It also highlights that older women, highly educated individuals, those with children, office workers and those with increased health concerns were more likely to switch from traditional cigarettes to alternative products. Adult women aged 20 to 39 were more likely to switch to alternative products regardless of income, while men over 40 were more likely to adopt smoke-free options if they had a higher income.