Perceptions of E-cigarettes among adults in treatment for opioid use disorder.

Background

Individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) have a high prevalence of smoking and limited success quitting smoking with existing tools. There is ongoing debate about whether electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) may be a viable harm reduction strategy. We sought to determine the potential acceptability of e-cigarettes for cigarette harm reduction among individuals receiving medication treatment for opioid use disorder (MOUD) with buprenorphine. Among individuals receiving MOUD we investigated health harm perceptions of cigarettes, nicotine e-cigarettes, and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), and perceptions of the helpfulness of e-cigarettes and NRT for quitting cigarettes.

Methods

Cross-sectional telephone survey conducted among adults in buprenorphine treatment at five community health centers in the Boston, MA metropolitan area from February to July 2020.

Results

93% and 63% of participants rated cigarettes and e-cigarettes, respectively, as very or extremely harmful to health, and 62% rated NRT as not to slightly harmful to health. Over half (58%) rated cigarettes as more harmful than e-cigarettes; 65% and 83% perceived e-cigarettes and NRT, respectively, to be helpful for reducing/quitting cigarette use. In bivariate analyses, nicotine e-cigarette users, compared to nonusers, perceived e-cigarettes to be less harmful to health and more often rated e-cigarettes as helpful for reducing/quitting cigarette use (both

Conclusions

This study suggests that Massachusetts patients receiving MOUD with buprenorphine have concerns about the health harms of e-cigarettes yet rate them as helpful tools for reducing or quitting cigarette smoking. Future research is needed to test the efficacy of e-cigarettes for cigarette harm reduction.

Informations de copyright

© 2022 The Authors.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Dr. Rigotti receives royalties from UpToDate, has consulted for Achieve Life Sciences, and consulted (without pay) for Pfizer. Dr. Kalkhoran received royalties from UpToDate. Dr. Wakeman receives royalties from UpToDate and has received salary support from OptumLabs, Celero Systems, and Alosa Health. No other authors have conflicts of interest to disclose.