Tag: Public Health England

PHE: Vaping is an Effective Cessation Aid

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Nicotine vaping products were the most popular quit-smoking aids (27.2 percent) in England in 2020, according to Public Health England’s (PHE) seventh independent report on vaping, carried out by researchers at King’s College London. Using a vaping product as part of a quit attempt in local stop smoking services had some of the highest quit success rates—between 59.7 percent and 74 percent in 2019 and 2020. An estimated 50,000 smokers stopped smoking with the aid of a vaping product in 2017.
Despite these trends, 38 percent of smokers in 2020 believed that vaping is as harmful as smoking, with 15 percent believing that vaping is more harmful.
The coronavirus pandemic is likely to have had an impact on smoking and vaping behaviors in both adults and young people. However, it is still too early to assess the full effect of the pandemic, with much of the data examined in this report being pre-pandemic.
Vaping has plateaued in adults and young people since the last PHE report in March 2020. Around 4.8 percent of young people (aged 11 to 18) reported vaping at least once a month—the same as last year—and most of these were either current or former smokers (only 0.8 percent of young people who had never smoked currently vape). Smoking prevalence among young people, including those who smoked sometimes or more than once a week, was 6.7 percent in March 2020, similar to March 2019 at 6.3 percent.
Similar to last year, around 6 percent of adults are current vapers, equating to about 2.7 million adult vapers in England. Smoking prevalence continues to fall and is between 13.8 percent and 16 percent depending on the survey. Vaping prevalence was between 17.5 percent and 20.1 percent among current smokers, around 11 percent among former smokers and between 0.3 percent and 0.6 percent among those who have never smoked. The proportion of vapers who also smoke, or “dual users,” has declined since 2012.
“Our report draws together findings from randomized controlled trials, stop-smoking services and population studies and concludes that nicotine vaping products are an effective way of successfully quitting smoking,” said Ann McNeill, professor of tobacco addiction at King’s College London.
“What is concerning is that smokers, particularly those from disadvantaged groups, incorrectly and increasingly believe that vaping is as harmful as smoking. This is not true and means fewer smokers try vaping.
“The goal for 2030 is to be smoke-free in England. The development of a new Tobacco Control Plan and this year’s review of the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 is an opportunity to ensure that the regulations around vaping are appropriate. The regulations are also hoped to help smokers to quit while not attracting people who have never smoked.”
February 25, 2021
Vapor Advocates Welcome PHE Review

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Public Health England’s (PHE) latest evidence review reinforces vaping’s role in smoking cessation as well as the low rate of use among underage never-smokers.
As the U.K. prepares to reevaluate its Tobacco & Related Products Regulations following Brexit, the report shows great successes in harm reduction and smoking cessation linked to vaping products.
In every region of the country, quit rates among adult smokers were found to be higher with the use of vaping than with other products, ranging from 49 percent success in the South West to 78 percent in Yorkshire and the Humber.
PHE states that the use of nicotine-replacement therapies (NRT) among long-term former smokers is declining while the use of vaping products is increasing. Citing data from Action on Smoking and Health, the review highlights that the most common reasons given for vaping were to quit combustible cigarettes (29.7 percent), stay off cigarettes after quitting (19.4 percent) and to reduce tobacco consumption (11.2 percent).
Flavors remain an important driver for those using vaping products, with 31.6 percent of vapers reporting fruit flavors to be their preference.
Uptake among “never-smoker” youth remains very low, between 0.8 percent and 1.3 percent, with PHE confirming that this rate has not increased in recent years.
John Dunne
“This a defining moment for the vaping sector and truly shows the considerable progress it has made against a backdrop of significant misinformation around the industry, with Public Health England once again stating that perceptions of the harm caused by vaping compared with smoking are increasingly out of line with the evidence,” said John Dunne, director general of the U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA).
“This latest data, which the review is based upon, provides incontrovertible evidence as to the importance of vaping to successful smoking cessation and the nation’s public health.”
Dunne also pointed to challenges that need addressing by the industry and policy makers.
“Despite the many positives in this report, a great deal remains to be done,” he said. “Action on Smoking and Health, for example, has found that just 11 percent of local authority stop-smoking services are offering vaping products to some or all of those trying to quit smoking. With the clear efficacy of vaping evidenced in this report, we must ensure this figure grows.
“As an industry, we also share PHE’s views on stronger enforcement in preventing underage sales. In our response to the government’s TRPR consultation, which we will be publishing shortly, we call for fully funded regional and national test purchasing schemes to better understand compliance and to help educate retailers on their legal requirements. The UKVIA has already published the first ever Preventing Underage Sales Guide for vape shops and online retailers, which has been supported by Trading Standards.
“The review’s finding that more than 50 percent of people believe vaping to be as harmful or more harmful than the use of combustible cigarettes means we need to keep educating smokers about the fact that vaping is a fraction of the harm of smoking, has literally changed the lives of former smokers for the better and is acknowledged as one of the best ways to quit conventional cigarettes.”
February 23, 2021
Vaping Group Calls for Continued Pragmatism

The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has urged British health authorities to continue their pragmatic policies on vaping.
Last month, U.K. Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced that Public Health England (PHE) was being scrapped and merged into the new National Institute for Health Protection. PHE has supported vaping as a vital tobacco harm reduction tool.
In the nicotine business, PHE is best known for its 2015 assertion that vaping is 95 percent less harmful than smoking.
“Whenever responsibilities are transferred there is a risk that invaluable institutional knowledge and memory is lost. This would be to the detriment of the U.K.’s millions of smokers and vapers and cannot be allowed to happen in this case,” said John Dunne, director of the UKVIA.
“The UKVIA calls upon the custodians of PHE’s former responsibilities, in the event that they are indeed reallocated, to continue their positive approach towards harm reduction technologies. Independent reviews, studies and statements, all focused on facts rather than hearsay, have been a cornerstone of a successful British vaping industry which supports adult consumers to make a positive change for their health,” Dunne said.
September 1, 2020
Critics Lambast Axing of Public Health England

Photo: Chris Dorney – Dreamstime.com
The abolition of Public Health England (PHE) puts at risk staff who specialize in tackling alcohol abuse, obesity and smoking, according public health experts.
Earlier this week, U.K. Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced that PHE was being scrapped and merged into a new National Institute for Health Protection alongside National Health Service Test and Trace and the Joint Biosecurity Centre.
PHE had come under fire for its performance in the coronavirus crisis, but critics suspect government officials view the agency as a convenient scapegoat for flawed decisionmaking in the early weeks of the coronavirus crisis.
The timing is also controversial. “It’s an incredibly stupid move,” a health official told The Economist. “We’re in the middle of a pandemic.”
PHE was created in 2013 with responsibilities including preparing and responding to health-related emergencies, such as pandemics. It currently employs around 5,500 full-time staff made up mostly of scientists, researchers and public health professionals.
In the nicotine business, PHE is best known for its 2015 assertion that vaping is 95 percent less harmful than smoking. The agency has been credited with Britain’s comparatively pragmatic vapor policies and progressive attitude toward tobacco harm reduction.
August 21, 2020