Nearly 6 Million Americans are Vapers: Study
A study published in the JAMA Network journal revealed that up to 5.66 million U.S. adults are currently vapers . This finding is based on the Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population survey, which was conducted in 2018/2019 and is regarded as one of the largest surveys that assessed the use of tobacco and nicotine products among US adults.
Vaping has been steadily growing in the U.S. over the past few years despite regulatory restrictions. One of the reason for the widespread appeal of vaping is that a lot of people are trying to switch from smoking as the damaging long-term effects of cigarette use become well-known.
Up to 135,211 adults participated in Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population survey. Out of the participants,16,570 (11.4 percent) were current smokers, 29,189 (18.2 percent) were former smokers, and 90.906 (70.3 percent) never smoked before. A staggering 80 percent of the vapers who still smoked revealed that using an electronic cigarette helped them to kick the habit.
The 5.66 million vapers in the U.S. account for just 2.3 percent of the country’s current population. The researchers estimate that out of the 5.6 million vapers, 2.21 million were current cigarette smokers, 2.14 million are former smokers, and 1.30 million have never smoked.
The researchers found that more men in America are vapers compared to women. What’s more, the study revealed that vaping is more common among people with higher education levels. Only 2.2 percent of the people with a educational level less than high school were found to be vapers, 3 percent of vapers have a high school degree, and 3.1 percent of them have a college degree.
The US has the largest market for vaping products followed by the UK and France. According to Wyoming-based Expert Market Research, the market for electronic cigarette products in the U.S. was valued at $12.8 billion, and that figure is expected to climb to $48.9 billion by 2025.
The Future of Vaping in the US
The US vaping industry has been under the microscope of authorities in recent years as concerns over vaping among teens have grown drastically. Earlier this year, the government announced a plan to ban flavored e-liquids, and manufacturers of vaping products are now required to meet the requirements of the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA).
The vaping industry in the U.S. is undergoing a dramatic change, and although its survival is guaranteed, there may be a lot of changes in the way things are done. For example, some companies may have to rebrand their products by changing the name and packaging design – we’re already seeing this happening on a smaller scale. There is also the ever-present possibility that some brands may go defunct.
Despite concerns about vaping, numerous studies have shed light on the fact that vaping can be beneficial for helping people quit cigarettes. Earlier this month, another study published in the JAMA Network journal concluded that counseling and electronic cigarettes were twice as effective at getting cigarette smokers to quit compared to just counseling or vaping alone.
Up to 376 adult smokers participated in the study, and a majority of them were long time smokers who had other smoking cessation techniques. The researchers concluded that electronic devices are an effective way to help smokers quit.
“E-cigarettes are not a magic bullet for smoking cessation, but for some smokers who have failed to quit using other therapies, [they] may be useful,” Dr. Mark J. Eisenberg, the co-author of the study said.
“Up until now, we have had relatively few clinical trials looking at the use of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation,” Eisenberg explained. ‘There is now enough evidence to begin to intelligently discuss the potential use of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation and to rethink current guidelines for quitting.”
For the study, the researchers divided the participants into three groups. The first group received electronic cigarettes without nicotine alongside counseling. The second group were subjected to electronic cigarettes with nicotine and counseling, and the third group received only regular counseling.
After 24 weeks, the researchers found that 21 percent of the participants in the first group had stopped smoking. After 12 weeks, 22 percent of the participants in the second group had quit smoking while only 9 percent of the participants in the third group had done so. After 24 weeks, 17 percent of the total participants who were given electronic cigarettes were still not smoking, while only 10 percent in the group that received only counseling had managed to stay away from cigarettes.
This is not the first study to indicate that pairing vaping with other smoking cessation therapies may be more effective at helping people quit. There have been a few studies pointing to this fact. However, the indisputably effective role of vaping as a smoking cessation aid cannot be disputed.