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
. 2020 Jul 1;30(Suppl_3):iii68-iii77.
doi: 10.1093/eurpub/ckaa085.

Support for e-cigarette policies among smokers in seven European countries: longitudinal findings from the 2016-18 EUREST-PLUS ITC Europe Surveys

Janet Chung-Hall  1 , Geoffrey T Fong  1   2   3 , Gang Meng  1 , Lorraine V Craig  1 , Ann McNeill  4 , Sara C Hitchman  4 , Esteve Fernández  5   6   7   8 , Ute Mons  9 , Antigona C Trofor  10   11 , Krzysztof Przewoźniak  12   13   14 , Witold A Zatoński  12   15 , Tibor Demjén  16 , Paraskevi A Katsaounou  17   18 , Christina N Kyriakos  19   20 , Constantine I Vardavas  19   20 ; EUREST-PLUS Consortium
Collaborators, Affiliations

Support for e-cigarette policies among smokers in seven European countries: longitudinal findings from the 2016-18 EUREST-PLUS ITC Europe Surveys

Janet Chung-Hall et al. Eur J Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: The 2016 European Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) required Member States (MS) to implement new regulations for electronic cigarettes (ECs). We conducted a longitudinal study to assess changes over 2 years in smokers' support for EC policies and identify predictors of support in seven European countries after TPD implementation.

Methods: Prospective cohort surveys were conducted among adult smokers in Germany, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Spain and England in 2016 (n = 9547; just after TPD) and 2018 (n = 10 287; 2 years after TPD). Multivariable logistic regression models employing generalized estimating equations assessed changes in support for four EC policies, and tested for country differences and strength of key predictors of support.

Results: Banning EC use in smoke-free places was supported by 53.1% in 2016 and 54.6% in 2018 with a significant increase in Greece (51.7-66.0%) and a decrease in Spain (60.1-48.6%). Restricting EC/e-liquid nicotine content was supported by 52.2 and 47.4% in 2016 and 2018, respectively, with a significant decrease in England (54.2-46.5%) and Romania (52.5-41.0%). An EC promotion ban was supported by 41.1 and 40.2%. A flavour ban was supported by 33.3% and 32.3% with a significant increase in Hungary (34.3-43.3%). Support was generally higher in Poland, Hungary and Greece vs. England. Support was lower among dual and EC-only users, and low-income smokers.

Conclusions: Smokers in all countries strongly supported banning EC use in smoke-free places and restricting nicotine content after TPD implementation, with no clear trends for changes in policy support.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Percentage of smokers† who would ‘support’ or ‘strongly support’ a law that bans the use of ECs in places where smoking is already banned, by country and survey wave. †Among those who have heard of e-cigarettes
Figure 2
Figure 2
Percentage of smokers† who would ‘support’ or ‘strongly support’ a law that limits the amount of nicotine in ECs and e-liquid, by country and survey wave. aAmong those who have heard of e-cigarettes
Figure 3
Figure 3
Percentage of smokers† who would ‘support’ or ‘strongly support’ a law that bans EC and e-liquid promotions, by country and survey wave. aAmong those who have heard of e-cigarettes
Figure 4
Figure 4
Percentage of smokers† who would ‘support’ or ‘strongly support’ a law that bans fruit and candy flavours in ECs and e-liquid, by country and survey wave. aAmong those who have heard of e-cigarettes
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Wang M, Wang JW, Cao SS, et al.Cigarette smoking and electronic cigarettes use: a meta-analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2016;13:120. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Filippidis FT, Laverty AA, Gerovasili V, Vardavas CI. Two-year trends and predictors of e-cigarette use in 27 European Union member states. Tob Control 2017;26:98–104. - PMC - PubMed
    1. European Commission, European Union. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/commfrontoffice/publicopinion/index.cfm/Survey/getS.... (19 December 2019, date last accessed).
    1. Research and Markets. Europe e-Cigarette and Vaporizer Device and Aftermarket. Vape Shop Analysis and Forecast, 2016–2022. Dublin, Ireland: Research and Markets, 2017.
    1. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Public Health Consequences of e-Cigarettes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2018. - PubMed

Publication types