The debate continues to flare over whether using e-cigarettes can help you quit smoking tobacco products. Share on Pinterest While federal regulators have not approved vaping as a smoking cessation aid, it is nonetheless marketed by some as a life-saving strategy for smokers trying to quit. Testimonials from people who have successfully switched from smoking combustible tobacco to vaping are emotionally charged. “If it wasn’t for vaping, I would have died from smoking cigarettes. Vaping has given me the opportunity to live longer and enjoy my children,” one such testimonial reads. The claims are not entirely unwarranted. Some research supports the use of vaping as a smoking cessation aid. One such study published in The BMJ shows a strong correlation between vaping and smoking cessation — for at least a three-month period. But the body of research has conflicting results. A 2017 European study concluded that vaping does not help individuals quit smoking. Instead, researchers said, it’s likely these individuals become “dual-users.” And now, a new study published in PLOS One contends that vaping helps almost nobody to quit smoking.

The latest study More than 850 individuals selected from GfK Global’s KnowledgePanel participated in the observational study and a follow-up interview. Survey data results found that 90 percent of smokers who vaped at the beginning of the study were still smoking one year later. This study builds on the previous research that suggested vaping helps individuals stop or decrease smoking during a three-month period. While vaping might help promote short-term smoking cessation, the new study’s finding strongly suggests it is an ineffective long-term strategy. Previous studies have drawn similar conclusions as well. The new study also expands on what we know about addictions. Using a different method of consuming nicotine is not effective — or necessarily safer than changing the behavior altogether. The study suggests behavioral therapy and alternative interventions should be considered in cessation plans to increase the success of quitting.