Living evidence on e-cigarettes: Cochrane reviews
We synthesise evidence on interventions involving electronic cigarettes, or vapes, and share the findings in two Cochrane living systematic reviews.
In our ‘Electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation’ review we explore the use of electronic cigarettes, or vapes, to help people to stop smoking tobacco cigarettes and whether they are safe to use for this purpose.
In our ‘Interventions for vaping cessation’ review we bring together the best available information on methods to help people to quit using vapes.
Monthly search findings
To access the records picked up in our monthly searches since the publication of the last review update please click on the link below.
E-cigarettes for smoking cessation
Stay up-to-date
Access our latest review here:
Access our regularly updated briefing documents here:
Interventions for quitting vaping
Stay up-to-date
Access our latest review here:
Access our regularly updated briefing documents here:
Oxford team
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Nicola Lindson
Cochrane Managing Editor and Senior Researcher
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Ailsa Butler
Postdoctoral Researcher & Systematic Reviewer
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Rachna Begh
Deputy Course Director, MSc Translational Health Sciences & University Research Lecturer
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Thomas Fanshawe
Senior Medical Statistician
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Annika Theodoulou
EBHC DPhil student
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Jonathan Livingstone-Banks
Lecturer & Senior Researcher in Evidence-Based Healthcare
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Angela Wu
Postdoctoral Researcher & Mental Health First Aider
Since coming on the market electronic cigarettes or vapes have caused a considerable stir in the public health community. It is of prime importance that the debate around this issue is based on high quality, relevant and up to date scientific data.
We want to be able to include all the evidence as it becomes available to ensure that the findings are as comprehensive as possible. With support from Cancer Research UK, we are searching monthly for new evidence for our Cochrane reviews of i) electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation and ii) interventions for quitting vaping. This is a “living systematic review” approach and we update our reviews when new evidence changes, strengthens, or weakens existing conclusions, or relates to new comparisons or outcomes. Cochrane systematic reviews are recognised as the highest standard in evidence-based healthcare, bringing together primary research data to facilitate evidence-based choices about health interventions.
Since the first publication of the e-cigarette for smoking cessation review in 2014 it has contributed to national and international guidelines. We anticipate that the new review of interventions for quitting vaping will also inform policy decisions, clinical practice, and the choices of people who smoke and/or vape. There is a huge amount of misinformation circulating about electronic cigarettes, and we are actively involved in sharing the evidence with diverse audiences. For our key findings see the latest version of the two living reviews or our briefing documents, links above.
We have carried out a series of companion projects on biomarkers, flavours and longer-term use of e-cigarettes, see our plain language briefing and joint briefing with ASH.
Our work has informed numerous national and international healthcare guidelines. Click here for examples.
senior author
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Jamie Hartmann-Boyce
Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management, University of Massachusetts Amherst
News and impact
Access selected press coverage received for the Electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation Cochrane review.
Disclaimer: by listing the articles we are not endorsing their content.
Presentations
This review has been presented to numerous national and international bodies. For a list of selected presentations please click on the link below.
Evidence and Gap Maps
Evidence and gap maps, or EGMs, are interactive tools to help you find out where evidence exists and where evidence is lacking. We will produce two EGMs to share availability of information on vapes as a quit smoking tool and on methods to help people to quit using vapes.
Podcasts and videos
Views
7 things to know about e-cigarettes and quitting smoking
In this blog, Jamie Hartmann-Boyce from the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group and Martin Dockrell from the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities share 7 things you need to know about e-cigarettes and quitting smoking.
Key publications:
An update of a systematic review and meta-analyses exploring flavours in intervention studies of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation
LINDSON N. et al, (2024), Addiction
Longer-term use of electronic cigarettes when provided as a stop smoking aid: Systematic review with meta-analyses
Butler AR. et al, (2022), Preventive Medicine, 165