Using e-cigarettes for smoking cessation neither improved the chance of quitting successfully nor helped to improve relapse rates, in a large nationally representative cohort study from the USA.

Varenicline and a combination of pharmacological and behavioural interventions were the two most effective methods for smoking cessation, a systematic review by the US Preventive Services Task Force has found. Data on the effectiveness and safety of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation in adults were limited and study results inconsistent.

Individuals who do not smoke every day have a significantly higher risk of all-cause mortality compared with those who have never smoked. For those who smoke daily, the mortality risk increases as the number of cigarettes smoked increases, a large study from the USA has found.

Between 2008 and 2017 smokers appear to have become less dependent on cigarettes but also less likely to try to quit or cut down. For those who tried to quit, fewer used behavioural support and more used pharmacological support, a study has found.

Nausea during the first few weeks of varenicline therapy may reduce adherence, a study from North America has found. The authors analysed data on 870 adults receiving varenicline in two smoking cessation trials conducted at multiple sites in Canada and the USA.

More than a third of smokers who completed a pilot study of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid quit smoking.

Effectiveness of smoking cessation aids varies between different types of smokers, a survey-based UK study has found. The data presented in this large, representative sample may provide useful information for GPs and other treatment providers in tailoring quit smoking advice to individual patients.

Smoking cessation in pregnant women is associated with a reduced risk of preterm birth, a large study from the United States has shown. Information was obtained from live birth certificates issued between 2011 and 2017 as part of the US National Vital Statistics System. Overall, 25,233,503 pregnant women who delivered live neonates and had data recorded on pre-pregnancy and trimester-specific cigarette smoking frequency were included in the analysis.

Nearly 40% of smokers and former smokers believe it is the nicotine in cigarettes that causes cancer, a UK study has found.

The cardiovascular and overall mortality benefits of stopping smoking far outweigh the risks of weight gain and acquiring type 2 diabetes, a study from the United States has shown.

One year smoking cessation rates were significantly higher in those who used e-cigarettes compared with those using traditional nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products, in a UK prospective study. However, many more of those on e-cigarettes who had quit ordinary cigarettes still used the substitute while most of those who quit using NRT were free from treatment.

An increase in the use of e-cigarettes (vaping) has been associated with a drop in smoking by teenagers and young adults, a time trend analysis from the United States has found.

Living in a smoking household and having peers who smoke are key factors associated with children smoking, a cohort study has found. The investigators analysed data on 11,577 teenagers in the Millenium Cohort Study, a birth cohort of children born between September 2000 and January 2002 in the UK.

The use of a nicotine patch before quitting may have a modest effect on abstinence, a large pragmatic randomised trial has found. A total of 1,792 adults were enrolled from Nottingham, Birmingham, Bristol, and London.

Patients with lung cancer who stop smoking have lower all cause mortality rates compared with those who continue to smoke, a UK retrospective cohort study has found.

Offering smokers admitted to hospital behavioural support and pharmacotherapy could help reduce smoking rates significantly, a national audit in England has shown.

Early evidence suggests that e-cigarettes help smokers interested in quitting to stop or cut down, a systematic review has found.

Smoking cessation services in England have trebled their impact in helping smokers to give up over the past decade, a study has found. However, a wide variation across local services was noted. The researchers analysed the performance of stop smoking services across England from 2001/02 to 2010/11, asking the questions: How has the performance of the services changed? How well have the services met the needs of different groups including economically disadvantaged smokers? How much local variation has there been in success rates?

Two recent studies have added to the growing body of evidence that suggests that plain packaging can make smoking less appealing, reduce cigarette consumption and encourage plans to quit.

Women who give up smoking before the age of 40 reduce their excess mortality risk by 90% and those who stop before 30 by > 97%, results from the Million Women Study have shown.

A large nationwide study in Denmark has found no increase in the risk of cardiovascular events with the use of varenicline compared with bupropion.