Tobacco quitting characteristics and e-cigarette vaping among Korean ever smokers

Objective: The objective of our study was to assess the relationship between quit attempts, quit intention, and quit duration of tobacco smoking and electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) vaping among Korean adults. Methods: We used the nationwide cross-sectional data of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) from 2013 to 2015. Of the total participants (N=22,948), 3,823 of adult (≥ 19 years old) ever smokers were eligible. The main outcome was e-cigarette lifetime vaping, and the predictors included cigarette quit attempts, quit intention, and quit duration. We performed statistical analysis with weighted percentage (%), the χ2 test with a p-value of significance level of 0.001, and the multiple logistic regression analysis presented as Odds Ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: A total of 25.6% of Korean ever smokers have experienced e-cigarettes. Factors related to the lifetime vaping of e-cigarettes were younger age, currently smoking and heavier smoking (p < .001). Gender was not associated. The e-cigarette ever vapers more likely to have attempted to quit (OR = 2.45, 95% CI = 1.69-3.53) than never vapers. There was not significant difference in intention to quit (OR = 1.61, 95% CI = 0.98-2.66) according to e-cigarettes vaping. The e-cigarette ever vapers more likely to quit for a short period (< 6m: OR = 2.00, 95% CI = 1.21-3.32), but less likely to quit for a long period (3y≤: OR = 0.27, 95% CI = 0.15-0.48). Conclusions: Although the e-cigarette vaping may be closely related to temporary abstinence from smoking, it may not lead to stable smoking cessation. Thus, considering e-cigarettes as an aid for effective smoking cessation could be misleading.