Stay away from vaping to quit smoking, Canadian researchers recommend

Recommendations outline a variety of methods to help Canadians stop smoking, but doctors say using e-cigarettes should be avoided except as a last resort.

New guidance in Canada is recommending that vaping be the last resort for Canadians trying to quit smoking.

The recommendations, published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal by the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care, lay out new methods to help people reduce and stop smoking altogether.

Doctors are advised to ask their patients if they smoke and then work with them to determine a plan to quit.

The suggested plans include primary care advice, individual or group counselling with a trained cessation counsellor, nicotine replacements like gum or patches, and prescription drugs.

“Smoking is probably the greatest preventable cause of death and illness in Canada,” said Dr. Eddy Lang, a professor in the University of Calgary’s department of emergency medicine and member of the task force. “So why not make it a target of one of our guidelines and to help people sort out all of the various options that are available to help you quit smoking?”

The task force also strongly recommended against the use of some tools due to “very uncertain” data or little to no effect on cessation, such as acupuncture, hypnotherapy and electrostimulation.

According to Statistics Canada, about 12 per cent of Canadians 25 and older say they currently smoke, compared with four per cent of those 15 to 19.

The most recent Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey showed 31 per cent of smokers 15 years and older have made an attempt to quit within the past year, with about 62 per cent trying to do so without any type of assistance.