Electronic cigarettes produced six-month abstinence rates better than those for traditional nicotine replacement products (NRT), according to a new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. In the study, 222 first-time purchasers of electronic cigarettes were surveyed about their smoking status. Researchers from the Boston University School of Public Health report that 31 percent of respondents reported having quit smoking. The figure compares favorably to an average six-month abstinence rate of between 12 percent and 18 percent for NRT products.

The authors of the study, which was led by Dr. Michael Siegel of the Department of Community Health Sciences at the Boston University School of Public Health, concluded that electronic cigarettes are a promising method for smoking cessation.

In addition to the 31 percent of respondents who quit smoking, study findings included the following:

•Of those who quit smoking, 34.3% discontinued the use of electronic cigarettes as well.

•66.8 percent of respondents reported reducing the number of cigarettes they smoked after using electronic cigarettes.

•48.8 percent of respondents reported quitting smoking for a period of time after using electronic cigarettes.

•Among respondents using electronic cigarettes frequently (more than 20 times per day), the six-month smoking abstinence rate was 70 percent.

The study authors did acknowledge a relatively low response rate (4.5 percent) to the survey, noting that it is possible that those who responded to the survey were more likely to have quit smoking than those who did not respond. However, despite the limitation, the authors conclude that electronic cigarettes “hold promise as a smoking-cessation method and are worthy of further study using more rigorous research designs.”

Furthermore, Dr. Siegel has hypothesized that a possible reason for electronic cigarettes’ apparent effectiveness as smoking cessation method is the fact that the devices address both pharmacologic and behavioral aspects of nicotine addiction: “While it is well-recognized that nicotine plays a role in smoking addiction, little attention has been given to the behavioral aspects of the addiction,” he says. “It is the fact that these devices simulate the smoking experience which appears to make them effective as a smoking cessation tool.”

According to Siegel, banning e-cigarettes—something anti smoking groups and regulators have promoted—would be detrimental to smokers who use the devices to cut back or quit their use of traditional cigarettes. “This study suggests that electronic cigarettes are helping literally thousands of ex-smokers to remain off cigarettes,” he says. “Banning this product would invariably result in thousands of ex-smokers returning to cigarette smoking. Removing electronic cigarettes from the market would substantially harm the public’s health.”

Co-authors of the study were Kerry L. Tanwar and Kathleen S. Wood, also of the Boston University School of Public Health.