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
. 2016 Sep;51(3):356-63.
doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2016.02.002. Epub 2016 Apr 20.

E-Cigarette Design Preference and Smoking Cessation: A U.S. Population Study

Caroline Chen  1 , Yue-Lin Zhuang  1 , Shu-Hong Zhu  2
Affiliations

E-Cigarette Design Preference and Smoking Cessation: A U.S. Population Study

Caroline Chen et al. Am J Prev Med. 2016 Sep.

Abstract

Introduction: Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) designs may be described as "closed" or "open." Closed systems are disposable or reloadable with prefilled cartridges (cigalikes). Open systems feature a prominent chamber (tank), refillable with e-liquid. This study examined user design preference and its association with smoking cessation.

Methods: A probability sample of current e-cigarette users (n=923) among adult ever smokers (n=6,560) in the U.S. was surveyed online between February 28 and March 31, 2014, and analyzed in September 2014. Photos of e-cigarette devices were presented alongside survey questions to facilitate respondents' understanding of the questions.

Results: Most e-cigarette users were exclusive users of one design: 51.4% used only closed systems and 41.1% used only open systems, with 7.4% using both. Former smokers were more likely to use open systems than current smokers (53.8% vs 35.2%, p=0.002). Current smokers who attempted to quit in the last 12 months were more likely to use open systems than those who did not (41.4% vs 27.7%, p=0.029). Open system users were more likely than closed system users to use e-cigarettes daily (50.2% vs 22.9%, p<0.0001). Open system users were less likely to report their devices resembled (3.1% vs 73.0%, p<0.0001) or tasted like (29.1% vs 53.3%, p<0.0001) a cigarette but were more likely to report that their devices satisfied cravings than closed system users (82.8% vs 67.2%, p=0.001).

Conclusions: Preference of e-cigarette design is associated with smoking cessation. A device's ability to deliver more nicotine and its flexibility in use might contribute to users' success in quitting smoking.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Proportion of daily e-cigarette users among all users (n=923).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. King BA, Patel R, Nguyen KH, Dube SR. Trends in awareness and use of electronic cigarettes among us adults, 2010–2013. Nicotine Tob Res. 2015;17(2):219–227. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntu191. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. CDC. Tobacco use among middle and high school students — United States, 2011–2014. Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2015;64(14):381–385. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brown J, West R, Beard E, Michie S, Shahab L, McNeill A. Prevalence and characteristics of e-cigarette users in Great Britain: Findings from a general population survey of smokers. Addict Behav. 2014;39(6):1120–1125. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2014.03.009. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Pauly J, Li Q, Barry MB. Postscript: Tobacco-free electronic cigarettes and cigars deliver nicotine and generate concern. Tob Control. 2007;16(5):357–357. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/tc.2006.019687. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Esterl M. Big tobacco’s e-cigarette push gets a reality check. Wall Street Journal. 2014 Aug 26;

Publication types

MeSH terms