Association of e-cigarette use and smoking cessation among Canadian young adult smokers: secondary analysis of data from a randomised controlled trial

Aims This study examined the reasons for e-cigarette (EC) use, changes in self-efficacy and association between EC use and cessation of tobacco among Canadian young adult smokers over a 6-month period. Methods A secondary analysis was conducted using data from a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of young adult Canadian smokers. EC exposure was defined as persistent, transient and non-use of ECs at baseline and follow-up. The association between EC exposure and cessation was examined using logistic regression and adjusting for co-variates. Results At 6-month follow-up, persistent EC use was associated with a lower cessation rate (13%) than transient (23%) or non-use (29%). After adjusting for covariates, non-use and transient use were associated with higher odds of cessation than persistent use (AOR = 3.23, 95% CI = 1.41–7.40, P P Conclusions Among young adult Canadian smokers enrolled in a RCT of a cessation intervention, persistent and transient use of ECs was associated with a lower smoking cessation rate at 6 months.