E-Cigarettes Help Military Service Members Quit Smoking, Study Finds

military soldier holding a cigarette in his hands

e-cigarette study

While the e-cigarette industry is constantly facing ridicule and criticism from non-vapers, there’s actually a lot of light at the end of the tunnel that’s being neglected. In fact, a new study has found a correlation between e-cigarettes and quitting conventional cigarettes amongst military service members. It’s e-cigarette studies like this one that paves way for contemporary discussion, innovative research and educated commentary.

The study

A 2018 study conducted by the Rand Corporation — a nonprofit company that researches and analyzes the United States Armed Forces — monitored the smoking rates among military service members over the past decade. The study, also known as, Health Related Behaviors Survey Substance Use Among US Active-Duty, found that military service members were actually smoking at a lesser rate than the general population. It’s important to note that the subjects who were analyzed were service members which notably means that they were more likely to be young males. Although alcohol, tobacco and illicit and prescription drugs were all a part of the study, we’re only focusing on the information found pertaining to tobacco use.

The objective

The survey used a random sampling strategy (different service branches, pay grades, races, age groups and genders) to complete an anonymous online survey to better understand the health and health-related behaviors of the service members. This included areas such as substance use, mental and physical health, sexual behavior and post-deployment problems that may affect their abilities to meet the demands of military life.

What was the result?

The study found quite a few interesting statistics correlating e-cigarette use with the effectiveness of quitting combustible cigarettes. In fact, “11.1 percent of military service members report daily e-cigarette use,” with 37% admitting to using a device within the past month of taking their survey. It’s also important to note that historically speaking, smoking rates among military service members have always been higher than the national average, but in recent years with the implementation of e-cigs, those figures have drastically decreased leaving only 13.9% of service members currently smoking conventional cigarettes in comparison to 16.8% within the general population.

Another interesting factor to consider is that many states do not subject military installations to the same local cigarette taxes as non-military members, making conventional cigarettes actually much cheaper for a military member. The study concluded that “the rise in the use of electronic cigarettes and a simultaneous decline in cigarette consumption is further proof of the efficacy of e-cigarettes as a tobacco harm reduction tool.

Needless to say, “as more military members use e-cigarettes instead of combustible cigarettes, the Defense Department’s long-term health care costs should decline significantly.

What are your thoughts on the results of this e-cigarette study? Tell us in the comments section below.

 

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