Smoking of tobacco cigarettes in the European Union has reduced by a great number. According to statistics, more than six million smokers have quit while another nine million have reduced smoking. This huge reduction can mainly be attributed to the use of electronic cigarettes. An analysis on data from the 2014 Eurobarometer on smoking and use of electronic cigarettes conducted by the University of Patras in Greece, Onasis Cardiac Surgery Centre in Greece and the French National Research Institute for Health and Medical research; 48.5 million Europeans have tried vaping whereas 7.5 million use electronic cigarettes. Among current users of electronic cigarettes, 35.1% have quit smoking and 32.2% have reduced smoking.
Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos the principal investigator remarked that: “These are probably the highest rates of smoking cessation and reduction ever observed in such a large population study.” Dr. Konstantinos further went on to say that: “The European Union data show that the use of electronic cigarettes seems to have a positive impact on public health for two main reasons: 1. High smoking cessation and reduction rates are observed, and 2. Electronic cigarette use is largely confined to smokers (current and former), with minimal use by non-smokers.”
The use of electronic cigarettes by non-smokers has evoked a lot of controversy but researchers have been quick to give reassurance. According to Jacques Le Houezec, a neuroscientist and researcher at the French National Research Institute for Health and Medical Research, “In non-smokers we observed some experimentation with electronic cigarettes, but regular use is minimal. Just 1.3% of non-smokers reported current use of nicotine-containing electronic cigarettes and 0.09% reported daily use. Practically, there is no current or regular use of nicotine-containing electronic cigarettes by non-smokers, so the concern that electronic cigarettes can be a gateway to smoking is largely rejected by our findings.”
Professor Konstantinos Poulas has also mentioned the importance of the Eurobarometer survey in evaluating vaping in the European Union. Professor Poulas was quoted saying: “The questionnaire of the Eurobarometer is probably one of the most detailed ever used in analyzing electronic cigarette use on a population level. It provides detailed information about the frequency of use, differentiates experimentation from regular use and examines the use of nicotine-containing electronic cigarettes. Moreover, the survey enrolled a large sample of Europeans which was representative of the total EU population. A similar design should be used in all population studies. ”
Eurobarometer is a survey conducted by the European Commission and is aimed at evaluating smoking and vaping in the 28 member states of the European Union.