Skip to content
Search
Please enter at least 3 characters.

Latest Stories

Vaping remains popular aid to quit smoking: PHE

More smokers need support to switch to vape but nearly one in six smokers incorrectly believe vaping to be more harmful than combustible tobacco, Public Health England has revealed.

The findings come from the seventh annual independent report summarising the evidence on vape products, commissioned by Public Health England (PHE).


Evidence on adult use of vape products came from four surveys, predominantly sourced from the ASH-ADULT survey and STS (Smoking Toolkit Survey) data. It shows a continued clear decline in smoking rates in England, now standing between 13.8 per cent and 16 per cent, depending on the methodology used.

The report shows that last year 27.2 per cent of people had used a vape product in a recent quit attempt, making it by far the most popular quitting aid. However, only 11 per cent of local authorities offer vape products as part of their approach to helping smokers quit.

The PHE report states: “As suggested in previous evidence reviews, combining vaping products (the most popular source of support used by people making a quit attempt in the general population), with stop smoking service support (the most effective type of support), should be an option available to all people who want to quit smoking.”

The report highlights variation in vaping prevalence by socio-demographic groups and smoking status. Using STS data, 7.2 per cent of men, 7.7 per cent of people in the north of England and 7.6 per cent of people from social grades C2, D and E vaped.

Vaping prevalence was between 17.5 per cent and 20.1 per cent among current smokers, around 11 per cent among former smokers and between 0.3 per cent and 0.6 per cent among never smokers. Around 10 per cent of long-term former smokers (quit for longer than 1 year) vaped, compared with 24 per cent of short-term former smokers (quit for less than one year).

Encouragingly, the proportion of vapers who also smoke has declined since 2012, from 74 per cent to 38 per cent in the ASH-Adult and from 92 per cent to 51 per cent in the STS survey. The PHE report’s authors state that the discrepancy is likely due to different definitions of smoking status.

More positive news highlights how vaping is becoming an established long-term route out of smoking for many. The proportion of current vapers who have vaped for more than three years appears to be increasing (23.7 per cent in 2018, 29.3 per cent in 2019, 39.2 per cent in 2020).

The proportion of new current vapers who have vaped for less than one month in 2020 was 2.6 per cent (5.5 per cent in 2018, 5.1 per cent in 2019). People who had vaped in the past mostly stopped after six months of use or less (59.9 per cent in 2020).

Yet a major challenge that continues to hold back the industry is the misconceptions that many smokers have about the relative risks of vaping.

The STS survey found that only 29 per cent of current smokers believed vaping was less harmful than smoking, with 38 per cent believed vaping was as harmful as smoking, 18 percent unsure and 15 per cent believing vaping to be more harmful than smoking. Misperceptions were more pronounced among smokers from social grades C2, D and E.

The PHE report also collected data emphasising the embryonic nature of some competitor next generation nicotine products. Use of heated tobacco products by adults in England was estimated at 0.3 per cent and use of nicotine pouches at 0.5 per cent in 2020.

Evidence on youth vaping collated in the report shows that there has been little change in the prevalence of vaping or smoking among young people in the past five years, despite fears from some campaigners that vaping could become a backdoor to increasing youth smoking rates.

More For You

Scottish community pharmacist working in high street pharmacy with supportive environment

The PDA wants investment to reach those who deliver services to patients every day

Pic credit: iStock

Funding boost in Scotland “needs to work for not just pharmacy owners but pharmacists too”, says PDA

An increase in funding for community pharmacies in Scotland needs to lead to a greater focus on supporting pharmacists rather than “simply sustain business models”, according to the Pharmacy Defence Association (PDA).

Earlier this week, Community Pharmacy Scotland (CPS) accepted the Scottish government’s initial financial offer for the 2025/26 fiscal year, securing a guaranteed minimum reimbursement of £120 million for community pharmacies — up from £110 million from 2024/25.

Keep ReadingShow less
Aspire Pharma acquisition boosts access to essential medicines for NHS patients in the UK

The acquisition is expected to further drive the company’s growth.

gettyimages

Aspire acquires UK distribution rights from Tetris

Aspire Pharma Limited, one of the UK’s fastest-growing specialty niche generics companies, has announced the acquisition of UK distribution rights to a number of products from Tetris Pharma, a subsidiary of Arecor Therapeutics.

These include products used in the treatment of bacterial infections—such as injectable and intravenous antibiotics—as well as a medicine indicated for acute myocardial infarction (MI) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

Keep ReadingShow less
GP surgery upgrades for annual appointments

The surgeries will have additional space to “see more patients, boost productivity and improve patient care”

Pic credit: iStock

GP surgery upgrades to create 8.3 million more annual appointments

Over 1,000 GP surgeries will have their premises modernised to meet the needs of a further 8.3 million appointments each year, the government has announced.

Backed by a cash injection of over £102 million, the surgeries will have additional space to “see more patients, boost productivity and improve patient care”.

Keep ReadingShow less
Wales boosts funding for pharmacy-led UTI and sore throat test services

The sore throat test (STTT) and treat service will be widely available

Pic credit: istock

Welsh pharmacies receive funding boost for clinical services

Two key clinical services will be available in 99 per cent of community pharmacies across Wales after a boost in funding.

The sore throat test (STTT) and treat service and the urinary tract infection (UTI) service have both benefitted from contractual negotiations between the Welsh Government and Community Pharmacy Wales (CPW).

Keep ReadingShow less
Paul Bennett
Paul Bennett, CEO, Royal Pharmaceutical Society
Paul Bennett, CEO, Royal Pharmaceutical Society

Pharmacists need to take advantage of independent prescribing pathways, says Bennett

Independent prescribing will be a “significant point” in the history of community pharmacy, according to Royal Pharmaceutical Society chief executive Paul Bennett.

Last month, the RPS announced the launch of a comprehensive new prescribing development programme to support pharmacists across all stages of their prescribing careers.

Keep ReadingShow less