The technology may be relatively new, but smokeless cigarettes are now becoming increasingly popular throughout the UK. Just how popular had never really been quantified until recently, but now one of the UK’s leading electronic cigarette producers has commissioned research which suggests that the growth of the alternative safer smoking product exceeds even the most optimistic expectations of reformed smokers and healthcare professionals.
The research conducted by USurv.com questioned 1,000 members of the public about their attitudes to smoking and tobacco in general. To make the survey truly representative, the survey randomly sampled a broad mixture of both smokers and non-smokers. A quarter of the respondents were current smokers, 12 percent were occasional smokers and 63 percent non-smokers. The results of the survey make very interesting reading.
36 percent of the respondents believed that electronic cigarettes should be made more accessible to smokers, whilst 43 percent agreed in principle that the introduction of the alternative smoke-free device represented good news for smokers. However, it should also be pointed out that almost half of those questioned (47percent) said they didn’t know enough about the product and therefore felt unqualified to express a definitive opinion. They did, however, call for more educational materials about the product to be made available for the benefit of smokers.
When asked to state what hey most disliked about smoking, the majority of the respondents (58 percent) agreed that the foul smell left by tobacco was the most off-putting aspect, closely followed by bad breath (46percent). Interestingly, only 37 percent objected to the damage that tobacco was likely to cause to the body, whilst 38 percent objected to the impact on the health of non-smokers through passive smoking. The UK’s health authorities might learn a thing or two from the results of the survey, as the respondents clearly put image-related issues ahead of health implications, in spite of several expensive and high-profile health campaigns that were targeted at highlighting the dangers of smoking.
Although nearly half of the respondents felt unqualified to offer an opinion on the effectiveness of smoke-free cigarettes, 83 percent had heard of the product and were aware that electronic cigarettes were marketed as an alternative to tobacco. I in 3 respondents appreciated that these products were healthier than conventional cigarettes. Unfortunately the majority mistakenly believed the products were sold as devices to help smokers quit, and did not appreciate that smokeless cigarettes were only sold as a safer alternative to tobacco. Electronic cigarettes are not regulated by the government or the health authorities and cannot therefore be marketed as ‘stop smoking’ devices. The safety of the product is monitored under trading standards legislation.
This article about electronic cigarettes was submitted by Freshcig