Electronic nicotine delivery system dual use and intention to quit smoking: Will the socioeconomic gap in smoking get greater?

Introduction: Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) are popular among cigarette smokers; however, it is not known whether the use of ENDS assists or delays quitting cigarettes, especially among certain priority populations. We examined predictors of intention to quit smoking and patterns of dual use of ENDS and traditional cigarettes among priority populations.

Methods: This study used data from a 2014 survey of a national probability sample of 5717 USA adults. Descriptive statistics were used to examine differences in intention to quit cigarette use among current cigarette smokers (n=1014) and dual users of cigarettes and ENDS (n=248). Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted on the overall sample and the subsample of dual users to determine whether dual use (versus cigarette only use) and demographic characteristics predict self-reported intention to quit and having attempted to quit in the past year. Significance was set at p<0.05.

Results: Compared to cigarette smokers, dual users were slightly more educated (p<0.05), more likely to intend to quit smoking (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=1.8, p=0.001), and more likely to have attempted to quit smoking in the past year (AOR=1.7, p=0.003). Blacks reported higher intention to quit than Whites (AOR=1.8, p=0.003). Compared with high school education or less, dual users with some college (AOR=1.5, p=0.007) or a college degree (AOR=2.5, p≤0.0001) had high intention to quit.

Conclusions: Dual users of ENDS and traditional cigarettes are more likely to intend to quit smoking and have recently made quit attempts. If using ENDS contributes to increased smoking cessation among more educated individuals, disparity in smoking by level of education will increase.