Yorkshire Cancer Research welcomes inclusion of vaping products in NICE guidelines content
Yorkshire Cancer Research has welcomed the inclusion of vaping products as a stop smoking aid in NICE guidelines.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has, for the first time, included vaping products (also known as electronic cigarettes) as a recommended stop smoking aid in its newly released tobacco guidelines.
Dr Kathryn Scott, Chief Executive at Yorkshire Cancer Research, said: “We are delighted to see that vaping products have been included in the NICE tobacco guidelines.
“The Charity’s goal is for 2,000 more people in Yorkshire to survive cancer every year. With more than 4,500 new cases of cancer linked to smoking in the region each year, helping people to stop smoking cigarettes is vital to achieving this goal.
“Easy and reliable access to vaping products will give more people in Yorkshire the best chance of quitting for good.”
At 15.4%, Yorkshire currently has the highest percentage of adult smokers compared to any other region in England and is much higher than the national average of 13.9%.
The new NICE tobacco guidelines mean that alongside providing clear and up-to-date information about vaping products, stop smoking services should also make these products accessible to adults who want to use them to quit.
Yorkshire Cancer Research has recently teamed up with Kirklees Council to provide vaping device starter packs to smokers looking to quit for good and are calling on all stop smoking services to make vaping products available to smokers.
Stuart Griffiths, Director of Research and Services at the charity, said:
“The evidence is clear that switching completely from smoking to vaping is likely to have substantial health benefits compared to continued smoking.
“Vaping products are a popular and effective stop smoking aid. We estimate that there are an additional 5,000 quitters a year in Yorkshire because of these device”.
The guidelines have been changed because there is convincing evidence to show that vaping products are far less harmful than smoking and are an effective stop smoking aid.
Yet, nearly a third of smokers in Great Britain incorrectly believe vaping is more or equally as harmful as smoking.
The charity’s Vaping Demystified documentary explores the truth about vaping and tackles common myths to provide smokers with the information they need to make an informed decision about using vaping products.