Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2014 Nov 24;9(11):e113013.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0113013. eCollection 2014.

E-cigarette use among smokers with serious mental illness

Judith J Prochaska  1 , Rachel A Grana  2
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

E-cigarette use among smokers with serious mental illness

Judith J Prochaska et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: We examined electronic cigarette (EC) use, correlates of use, and associated changes in smoking behavior among smokers with serious mental illness in a clinical trial.

Methods: Adult smokers were recruited during acute psychiatric hospitalization (N = 956, 73% enrollment among approached smokers) in the San Francisco Bay Area between 2009-2013. At baseline, participants averaged 17 (SD = 10) cigarettes per day for 19 (SD = 14) years; 24% intended to quit smoking in the next month. Analyses examined frequency and correlates of EC use reported over the 18-month trial and changes in smoking behavior by EC use status.

Findings: EC use was 11% overall, and by year of enrollment, increased from 0% in 2009 to 25% in 2013. In multiple logistic regression, the likelihood of EC use was significantly greater with each additional year of recruitment, for those aged 18-26, and for those in the preparation versus precontemplation stage of change, and unlikely among Hispanic participants. EC use was unrelated to gender, psychiatric diagnosis, and measures of tobacco dependence at baseline. Further, over the 18-month trial, EC use was not associated with changes in smoking status or, among continued smokers, with reductions in cigarettes per day.

Interpretation: Within a clinical trial with smokers with serious mental illness, EC use increased over time, particularly among younger adults and those intending to quit tobacco. EC use was unrelated to changes in smoking. The findings are of clinical interest and warrant further study.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00968513.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

References

    1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2014) The Health Consequences of Smoking: 50 Years of Progress. A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA.
    1. Schroeder SA, Morris CD (2010) Confronting a neglected epidemic: tobacco cessation for persons with mental illnesses and substance abuse problems. Annu Rev Public Health 31: 297–314 291p following 314. - PubMed
    1. Williams JM, Steinberg ML, Griffiths KG, Cooperman N (2013) Smokers with behavioral health comorbidity should be designated a tobacco use disparity group. Am J Public Health 103:1549–1555. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Epstein J, Barker P, Vorburger M, Murtha C (2004) Serious mental illness and its co-occurrence with substance use disorders, 2002. Rockville, MD.
    1. Lasser K, Boyd JW, Woolhandler S, Himmelstein DU, McCormick D, et al. (2000) Smoking and mental illness: A population-based prevalence study. JAMA 284:2606–2610. - PubMed

Publication types

Associated data