A new study from the Rutgers School of Public Health finds smokers who have recently quit are four times more likely than current smokers to use e-cigarettes daily.

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Person vaping (diego_cervo, ThinkStock)
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The study, published recently in Nicotine & Tobacco Research, was conducted by Rutgers School of Public Health and the Schroeder Institute, the research arm of Truth Initiative, a national public health group.

Lead study author Cristine Delnevo says they gathered data from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about "vaping."

"We were very curious to see who was using these products," DelNevo said.

The National Health Interview Survey collected data on almost 37,000 adults in the United States. DelNevo says the results are in line with recent evidence that regular, daily e-cigarette use may help some smokers quit cigarettes.

"It does look like that for some cigarette smokers. They have indeed quit smoking cigarettes, and they have very very high rates of e-cigarettes use," she said.

DelNevo admits the jury is still out on the level of harm represented in the by-products inhaled from using e-cigarettes, however, some studies show the e-cigarettes may have less toxins.

"While we are still waiting to find out exactly what it is in these e-cigarettes, the data to date at least suggests that they release far fewer toxins and carcinogens than combusted cigarettes, and of those toxins and carcinogens that have been present, they are at much, much lower levels compared to cigarettes," DelNevo said.

She said their data suggests that e-cigarettes are neither attracting non-smokers to using the products nor are they getting those who quit regular cigarettes a long time ago to relapse back to "vaping."

"I think the takeaway here is that cigarette smokers, as we know, want to quit smoking cigarettes, and they are looking for different strategies and ways to help them quit. And there is certainly approved pharmacal therapy and counseling, etc," she said. "But for some cigarette smokers, it seems like this product may have certain appeal to move them away from combusted cigarettes."

Joe Cutter is the afternoon news anchor on New Jersey 101.5.

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