Recently, according to Fox TV, a new study shows that compared to traditional nicotine replacement therapy (such as patches), the use of electronic cigarettes can help pregnant women quit the smoking habit and reduce the risk of low birth weight.
E-cigarettes are more effective than nicotine patches
Peter Hajek, director of the Health and Lifestyle Research Unit at Queen Mary University of London, said:
“E-cigarettes appear to be more effective than nicotine patches in helping pregnant women quit smoking and therefore appear to lead to better pregnancy outcomes as well.”
The researchers studied 1,140 pregnant women who were trying to quit smoking.
Half of the women used e-cigarettes and the other half used nicotine patches. Studies have shown that both methods are equally safe.
The study found that the e-cigarette group had fewer low-birth-weight babies, which can reduce the risk of health conditions later in life.
Twice as successful as the nicotine patch
The researchers say this is most likely because e-cigarettes are more effective at reducing the use of traditional cigarettes.
The women then reported whether they had successfully quit smoking.
Some women successfully quit smoking with products that were not specified, and most women who used nicotine patches did so with the help of e-cigarettes they obtained on their own.
However, considering only those who had successfully quit using designated treatments, twice as many people successfully quit using e-cigarettes as using nicotine patches.
The researchers also accounted for safety outcomes, including low birth weight, infant intensive care admissions, miscarriage, stillbirth, and preterm birth.
The study, funded by the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research, is published in the NIHR Journals Library.
References:
[1] Vaping Might Beat Nicotine Patches in Helping Pregnant Women Quit Smoking