Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Nicola Lindson discuss emerging evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Stephen Higgins from the University of Vermont Associate Professor Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Associate Professor Nicola Lindson discuss the new evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Professor Stephen Higgins from the University of Vermont Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science, Burlington, USA. Professor Stephen Higgins uses the concepts and methods of behavioural economics and behavioural pharmacology to investigate tobacco, illicit drugs, and other health-related risk behaviours in vulnerable populations.

In the October podcast Stephen Higgins describes his recent studies on reduced nicotine cigarettes and e-cigarettes in high-risk populations. Their three randomised clinical trials involved 326 participants. They found that decreases in cigarettes smoked daily, resulting from smoking cigarettes with reduced nicotine content, were significantly larger when adults from at-risk populations had access to e-cigarettes in their preferred flavours. Their study findings indicate that access to preferred flavoured e-cigarettes has the potential to enhance the effect of a nicotine-reduction policy on cigarette smoking in populations with psychiatric conditions or lower education level who are at greatest risk for smoking and associated harm.

This podcast is a companion to the electronic cigarettes Cochrane living systematic review and shares the evidence from the monthly searches.

Our literature searches carried out on 1st October found: 2 new studies. The study by Higgins et al described on this podcast (DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.31731) and DOI: 10.1093/ntr/ntae212. We also found 3 linked papers (10.2196/58260, 10.1111/add.16633, 10.1038/s41415-024-7850-5)

For further details see our webpage under 'Monthly search findings':

https://www.cebm.ox.ac.uk/research/electronic-cigarettes-for-smoking-cessation-cochrane-living-systematic-review-1

For more information on the full Cochrane review updated in January 2024 see: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010216.pub8/full

This podcast is supported by Cancer Research UK