Media release
From: Pasifika Medical Association GroupWe compared the use of smoking cessation aids across different ethnic groups and age groups within a large
New Zealand cohort and assessed the uptake and effectiveness of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation via a
'vape to quit' initiative. The final dataset analysed including 1,118 participants; 66.6% NZ European, 28.1%
Māori, 3.1% Pacific, 2.2% Asian. The use of vaping products, predominantly nicotine-containing products, to
support smoking cessation has increased rapidly over time. We followed up 100 participants who had used
vaping to quit smoking and found that after six months 16% were smoke and vapefree, 31% were smokefree
and vaping, 31% were smoking and not vaping, and 22% were smoking and vaping. Nicotine containing e-
cigarettes are showing potential in smoking cessation programmes in support of the Smokefree Aotearoa
2025; however, 22% of those in the 'vape to quit' programme became dual users.