The ECtra Study provided much needed evidence on e-cigarette use in relation to smoking relapse. It will inform the future development of e-cigarette based 'stop smoking' interventions.
Our findings were important for policy and practice recommendations, particularly 'stop smoking 'services. We identified the best ways to advise the public who wished to stop and stay stopped from smoking (with the assistance of e-cigarettes).
Our in-depth data significantly contributed to the understanding of relapse to smoking following a quit attempt using e-cigarettes.
Thank you to everyone who took part in an in-depth interview, online interview survey, or observation!
Relapse prevention leaflet
Please click on the link below to access a relapse prevention leaflet we have developed with Cancer Research UK, National Centre for Smoking Cessation Training (NCSCT), and the New Nicotine Alliance (NNA). The leaflet is based on findings from the ECtra study.
Download the Staying Switched leaflet
Debunking the myths of e-cigarettes with research
Many of our participants had questions about vaping such as 'Is vaping safe?' and 'Am I vaping more frequently than I used to smoke?' Our 11-minute video gives evidence-based answers to these questions.
ECtra Research Team
This study is led by a team of researchers at UEA's Norwich Medical School. We are working with colleagues at London South Bank University.
The study is funded by Cancer Research UK and supported by the Society for the Study of Addiction.
- A Qualitative Exploration of Consumers’ Perceived Impacts, Behavioural Reactions, and Future Reflections of the EU Tobacco Products Directive (2017) as Applied to Electronic Cigarettes
- User pathways of e‐cigarette use to support long term tobacco smoking relapse prevention: a qualitative analysis
- Reported patterns of vaping to support long-term abstinence from smoking: a cross-sectional survey of a convenience sample of vapers
- Responsibility, normalisation and negotiations of harm: E-cigarette users' opinions and experiences of vaping around children
- What is the value of peer involvement in advancing tobacco harm reduction?
- Vaping as an alternative to smoking relapse following brief lapse
- The unique contribution of e-cigarettes for tobacco harm reduction in supporting smoking relapse prevention
- A qualitative exploration of the role of vape shop environments in supporting smoking abstinence
- The benefits and risks of e-cigarettes as a 'stop-smoking' tool, written evidence submitted by Caitlin Notley to the Parliamentary E-Cigarettes Inquiry
- ECtra Final Findings presented at the UK E-Cigarette Forum, September 2018, London
- Nicotine in Everyday Life - From Addiction to Recreation presented at the Global Forum on Nicotine, June 2018, Warsaw, Poland, June 2018
- E-cigarettes for avoiding relapse presented at Global Forum on Nicotine 2017, Warsaw, Poland, June 2017
- Redefining understanding of tobacco smoking lapse in the context of vaping presented at the Society for the Study of Addiction Annual Conference, Newcastle, November 2017
- A qualitative study of support provided by vape shops to people wanting to use e-cigarettes to quit smoking presented at the Society for the Study of Addiction Annual Conference, Newcastle, November 2017
- An ethnographic observational study of smoking cessation advice given in vape shops presented at Global Forum on Nicotine 2017, Warsaw, Poland, June 2017