On February 24, the official website of the British government published the report "E-cigarette use in the UK: Evidence update 2021". This is an annual update report by Public Health England (PHE), which mainly updates the latest data on e-cigarette use in the UK, providing information and insights for policy and regulation.

The United Kingdom is one of the best countries in the world for tobacco control, and it is also the first country to explicitly support e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool. But in this report, Public Health England is a little anxious because of a set of data.

A survey by the Department of Public Health England found that British people's perception of the harm reduction of e-cigarettes is increasingly inconsistent, with only 29% of people who believe that e-cigarettes are less harmful than cigarettes. In addition, 38% believe that e-cigarettes are as harmful as cigarettes, 18% do not know which is more harmful, and 15% believe that e-cigarettes are more harmful than cigarettes. In other words, 71% have misunderstandings about e-cigarettes.

As early as 2015, the British Department of Public Health issued an independent report, pointing out that although e-cigarettes are not 100% safe, the content of harmful chemicals is almost negligible, and the harm reduction of e-cigarettes is beyond doubt.

Then the first question is, why is Public Health England in such a hurry?

The core reason is that the UK needs to ensure the smooth progress of the 2030 smoke-free goal. Under the UK's 2030 smoke-free target, combustible cigarettes are planned to be phased out by 2030, allowing smokers to quit smoking completely or switch to lower-risk nicotine delivery systems such as e-cigarettes.

Until 2019, the UK government's smoke-free goals were progressing well. Adult smoking rates continue to decline, and e-cigarette use has steadily increased. However, in 2020, the use of e-cigarettes in the UK declined for the first time (see the chart below). It fell from 7.1% in 2019 to 6.3% in 2020, a year-on-year decline of 12%.

Find the reason for the decline. The survey found that only 29 percent believed that e-cigarettes were less harmful than cigarettes. So does low awareness lead to a decline in e-cigarette use?

A 2020 study by University College London (UCL) answered: Yes!

The study, published in BMC Medicine by University College London, found that for every 1% reduction in people's perception of the harm reduction of e-cigarettes compared to cigarettes, the use of e-cigarettes fell by 0.48%.

So the next question becomes, what caused the decline in the awareness rate of e-cigarette harm reduction among British adults.

Another study, published by University College London, looked at whether the 2019 outbreak of illicit e-cigarette-related lung injury (EVALI) in the United States led to changes in smokers' perceptions of how harmful e-cigarettes and cigarettes are.

University College London surveyed 3,215 smokers. Before the outbreak of EVALI, 37% of the respondents believed that e-cigarettes were less harmful than cigarettes. After the outbreak of EVALI, the proportion was significantly reduced to 30.9%. Correspondingly, those who believed that e-cigarettes were equally harmful increased from 39.9% to 43.8%. E-cigarettes were more harmful than cigarettes, increasing from 12.7% to 17.2%. The outbreak of EVALI has directly contributed to the deterioration of British smokers' views on e-cigarettes.

In fact, after several months of investigation in 2019, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) clearly stated on its official page: “Illegal e-cigarette products containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) played a major role in the cases. "The culprit is vitamin E acetate in illegal THC products, which regular nicotine e-cigarettes do not contain.

It is for these reasons that Public Health England's 2021 report highlights: "There needs to be a greater focus on delivering evidence of harm reduction to smokers in better ways, so that they can fully consider options to help them quit smoking."

The public's correct perception of e-cigarettes has become the key to the UK's 2030 smoke-free goal.

Website Statement

This article is reproduced on the Internet without any commercial purpose. It only represents the author's point of view and does not represent the position of this site. If there is any infringement, please contact to delete it. Please attach the link of this website for reprinting: http://www.ecig100.com/