Patterns and experiences of smoking, electronic cigarettes (vapes) and heated tobacco use among people who smoke or who recently quit.

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study is to understand patterns and experiences of smoking and electronic cigarette use, as well as related attitudes and behaviours among adults in Aotearoa New Zealand who smoke or recently stopped smoking.

Methods: We analysed data from the Evidence for Achieving Smokefree Aotearoa Equitably/International Tobacco Control New Zealand Survey (N=1,230), conducted between November 2020 and February 2021.

Results: Among people who smoked, 77.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 74.0-80.8%) reported regretting having started smoking, 73.6% (95% CI 69.5-77.4) intended to quit, 87.3% (95% CI 84.1-89.9) reported being addicted to smoking and 86.3% (95% CI 83.3-88.8) had tried to quit smoking in the past. Among people who smoked, 24.8% (95% CI 21.3-28.6) used electronic cigarettes (ECs) daily and 4.6% (95% CI 3.3-6.6) used heated tobacco products (HTPs) daily. Among people who had recently stopped smoking, 33.4% (95% CI 25.6-42.2) used ECs daily and less than 1% used HTPs daily.

Conclusion: High levels of regret for starting smoking, addiction and intent to quit smoking highlight the importance of implementing effective and equitable smokefree measures to prevent people from starting to smoke and to support people to stop smoking.