Research commissioned by the Center for Consumer Choice and authored in collaboration with the World Federation of E-Cigarette Users sheds light on some of the misconceptions healthcare practitioners and consumers have about nicotine and harm reduction.
Perceptions of tobacco harm reduction and nicotine in France and Germany were surveyed to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of misconceptions about e-cigarettes by GPs, smokers and policymakers on future harm reduction policies in Europe. The survey conducted 30 interviews with general practitioners and a quantitative survey of 862 French and German smokers.
Key findings:
- In Germany, only 3 out of 15 doctors said they knew the word harm reduction.
- 33% of smokers in France and 43% in Germany wrongly believe that e-cigarettes are as or more harmful than cigarettes.
- 69% of smokers in France and 74% in Germany wrongly believe that nicotine causes cancer.
- 62% of smokers in France and 53% in Germany believe that anti-smoking policies ignore the difficulty of quitting smoking.
- The findings were announced at a press conference in Brussels.
“For current smokers who want to quit smoking, there are two primary sources of information: the Internet and their GP. Unfortunately, physicians’ existing perceptions of e-cigarettes as a harm reduction tool prevent them from recommending It comes to quit smoking. A large number of GPs also mistakenly believe that nicotine causes cancer. From a patient’s perspective, this reduces potential improvements in public health,” said Bill Wirtz, senior policy analyst at the Center for Consumer Choice.
“This survey has revealed many misconceptions about harm reduction and vaping in countries that should be on the front lines of the harm reduction fight in Europe. Smokers who are dissatisfied with traditional methods of quitting should be informed that vaping can Help. In the EU, more than 19 million people are likely to switch from smoking to vaping, and politicians should help them by encouraging vaping as the most successful way to quit smoking so far,” said Michael Randall, director of the World Vaping Federation. .
Konstantinos Farsalinos, a physician and public health expert with extensive experience in tobacco harm reduction research, said:
“The scientific evidence currently available is very clear: e-cigarettes are far less harmful than smoking and should be part of every smoking cessation framework globally. These misconceptions about relative risks and harms suggest that public health must do better to encourage smokers to switch to Less harmful alternatives.”
The study was conducted by research firm Info Sapiens and co-authored by the Center for Consumer Choice in partnership with e-cigarette advocacy group World Vapers’ Alliance.
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