The researchers found that around one in five people in England who stopped smoking for more than a year, currently vape. 

Discussing the research, Dr Jasmine Khouja says,  

“On one hand, the results indicate that people who use e-cigarettes to stop smoking are often using them for more than a year to help them stay smoke-free. 

“On the other hand, there is a small proportion of people who gave up smoking 14 or more years ago and likely did not use e-cigarettes to help them stop smoking that have recently taken up vaping. These people could have been tempted to use nicotine again by new products like disposable vapes. 

“However, after a pandemic and financial crisis in the UK, some of these people may have felt the urge to start smoking again and may have taken up vapes instead. There are lots of possible reasons for the increase, and further research is needed to explore why these individuals might start vaping after being smoke-free for so long.”