Study shows: access to e-cigarettes potentially brings health benefits to society

Researchers at the University of Otago in Wellington, New Zealand, conducted a study to analyze the potential health benefits of more liberal access to e-cigarettes. The research modeled the impact of increased e-cigarette availability on society, compared to times when vaping products were less commonly used, and traditional tobacco consumption was higher.

The researchers found that a total of 236,000 years could be gained for the general population. Additionally, healthcare savings were projected to reach as high as NZ$3.4 billion in New Zealand (roughly US$2.5 billion). The numbers presented in the study are striking and highlight the potential benefits of e-cigarettes in improving a society’s health and overall quality of life. Although the results should be interpreted with caution — after all, it’s a model with limited variables — they still demonstrate the promising impact e-cigarettes may offer.

How can e-cigarettes help?

The benefit of using e-cigarettes lies in the fact that traditional tobacco products, such as cigarettes, would likely be consumed less if e-cigarettes were more widely accessible. E-cigarettes are considered significantly less harmful than traditional cigarettes, containing roughly 95% fewer toxic chemicals. The researchers assume that greater availability would encourage more smokers to switch to this healthier alternative. It’s emphasized, however, that not smoking remains the healthiest option. Still, since e-cigarettes are far less harmful than traditional tobacco products, they were viewed as a valuable substitute and thus the focus of the study. E-cigarettes present a viable alternative to traditional cigarettes, helping smokers reduce their intake of harmful chemicals — contributing to longer life expectancy and reduced healthcare costs, as fewer treatments for smoking-related illnesses would be necessary.

Why do these findings matter?

The findings of the New Zealand study are significant, as they can serve as a model for similar research in other countries to calculate potential societal benefits. Additionally, these findings suggest that e-cigarettes not only help individuals lead healthier lives but, when made accessible, can also improve a society’s overall health. The gained quality-adjusted life years represent time where individuals contribute productively to society. Moreover, the savings in healthcare spending could be reallocated to other essential public sectors. Overall, the study demonstrates that broader access to e-cigarettes among smokers could lead to increased life expectancy and significantly reduced healthcare costs. Governments should seriously consider e-cigarettes as a potential tool for smoking cessation, making them more widely available to adult smokers.

To translate these findings into a context in the United Kingdom, Public Health England provided some information about the number of E-cigarette users in the UK that intended to quit smoking with the help of vaping:

e-cigarette use in uk